Brand New World
by Kakusei
Summary: I m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I m being realistic. Final Note: This story is done due to lack of interest in author to continue.
1. Chapter 1

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 1: The Awakening of Kakusei**

One Piece. For some reason those words stick in my mind. Well, right now not much is in my mind, as all I can see is black. Heck, I can`t even open my eyes or move any part of my body. I don`t even remember my own name. All I know is that right now, I can`t move, I have no idea who I am, and I`m falling. And fast. And when I hit the ground, it`s gonna hurt. Wait, what`s this smell? It`s kinda salty and familiar. It`s sea air! Wait, I`m over the sea?!?! Great, I won`t die on impact, I`ll just drown. Not much better than the first option. Oh… great, I`m… blacking… out….

"Oh, my head," I say getting up. I look around and see wood. The walls, the floor, and ceiling, all made of wood. I was lying on a blanket, and I`m bandaged? And that`s when the pain kicked in. "OW, OW, OW, OW!!!" Man, did that hurt. What the heck happened to me? Was I in a fight? Maybe that`s why I was flying at high velocity towards the sea. Looking around, I don`t really see anyone, but I couldn`t have just swam onto a ship while unconscious. Someone had to have rescued me, but who?

I found what I guess were my clothes folded next to me. I was still wearing my pants, (thank god), but my shirt, undershirt, and cloak were next to me. I took a look at myself after I got fully dressed, except the cloak. I was wearing a pair of black kung-fu pants, a blue tee shirt, a white gi with "eshi", the symbol for "artist" in Japanese, on the back. My cloak was made of a dark brown cloth and had a hood. A closer look showed that my clothes were patched up. I guess they were pretty beat up from whatever happened to me. I shook my brown hair, which was, I thought, unusually spiked in the back. I remember a little of my past now, and I remember I need glasses, don`t I? I blink a few times and my sight is still crystal clear. Whatever happened, it fixed my eyes. Cool.

Luckily the pain lessened also, and I walked over to the door. I was about to open it when someone on the other side opened it. I was a little surprised when a raven-haired woman in her late twenties walked in and said, "I had a feeling you were up."

"I guess my painful cry gave it away, huh?" I said trying to lighten the mood. At the same time, I wondered why this woman looked so familiar.

"Miss Navigator, our guest is awake," she said calling outside.

"Really?" I heard another voice, this one female as well responding to the woman before me. She walked in and I saw an orange-haired girl about 18, the same age as me. "So, you are up."

"He`s awake?!?" yet another voice yelled from outside the room. This voice was male, however. The door opened, almost flying off its hinges, and in walked a guy about the same age as me, maybe younger by a year, with black, scruffy hair and wearing a straw hat. At that moment, a name hit me. "Hi, I`m…"

"Luffy?" I said, cutting him off.

"Yeah," he said a little confused. "How`d you know?"

"I`m not sure," I replied slowly. "It just kinda popped into my head."

"That`s weird," the orange-haired girl said.

"Anyway, what`s your name?" Luffy asked.

"I`m not sure," I replied. "I can`t remember anything before that falling sensation."

"That must have been around when I caught you," the raven-haired woman said.

"You saved my life?" I said a little embarrassed. "Well, thanks."

"You`re welcome," she replied. "Now, about your name, how about we call you Kakusei?"

"Kakusei," I echoed, thinking the name over. "I like it."

"Kakusei it is then." Luffy said in reply. He grabbed my arm, and pulling me outside he said, "Come on, I wanna introduce you to the rest of the crew!" As he pulled me out, I had a feeling this was gonna be one heck of a ride.


	2. Chapter 2

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 2: Old Memories of New Crewmates**

"Hey guys," Luffy shouts as he pulls me on deck," that guy Robin caught is awake!"

"So my savior`s name is Robin," I say while looking at her. "May I ask the name of the other girl I assume helped take care of me?"

"I`m Nami," Nami replied, "but I didn`t treat you. Chopper did."

"Chopper?" I asked. "So, which one of you is Chopper?"

"I am!" I look down and see a child-sized reindeer standing on its hind legs, and wearing pants and a pink hat. "I`m Chopper. It`s very nice to meet you, uh…"

"He`s Kakusei," Luffy replied quickly while hanging on my shoulder. "At least that`s what we`re calling him. He can`t remember who he is."

"Oh, so he has amnesia," Chopper said. "That doesn`t happen very often. Did my medicine help?"

"Yeah, it did." I replied slowly. "Chopper, are you a reindeer?"

"NO, I`M A TANUKI!!!" he yelled back. "Oh wait, yeah I am."

"How can you talk and walk on two legs?" I asked a little confused.

"I ate the Hito Hito no Mi," he replied, "and now I`m a human-reindeer."

"Wait, what`s the…GAH!!!" I said as I clutched my head in pain. More memories flooded into my brain and I knew exactly what he was talking about. He was talking about a Devil Fruit, one of several in this world. You eat one, and you get, in short, superpowers. They came in three types, Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia. Chopper ate the Hito Hito no Mi, a Zoan Fruit, Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, and Robin ate the Hana Hana no Mi, both Paramecia Fruits. I knew of others who had eaten these Devil Fruits, but I hadn`t met any of them. This confused me to no end.

"Are you alright?" Chopper asked me, snapping me out of my daze.

" Yeah," I replied. "I think I just got some of my memory back."

"Really?!?" What`d you remember?" Chopper asked me.

"I remember what Devil Fruit is," I replied. "I understand all the different types and everything."

"Cool," Luffy replied. "Anyway, the rest of the crew still needs to meet you. " He pointed to a green-haired guy about a year older than I was lifting weights about the size of a small car, whatever a car is. "That`s Zoro. He`s a swordsman and he fights with three swords."

"Sounds interesting," I said with one eyebrow cocked. "I`ll have to see that sometime."

"Hey," Zoro said, going right back to his training.

"Over there is our sniper, Usopp," Luffy said pointing to a black-haired guy wearing a bandanna.

"Nice to see you," Usopp said with a huge grin on his face, "and just to let you know, I`m the captain of this crew."

"Bullshit," I said as if on instinct.

Usopp then jumped back and said in shock, "How did you see through my lie?"

"I didn`t," I replied calmly, "I can`t say how, but I just know you`re lying."

"Oh," Usopp said calmly now, "well either way, I just blew my own cover, didn`t I?"

"Kinda," I said in reply.

"And last, but not least, is our cook, Sanji," Luffy said as he pointed over to a blonde guy about the same age as Zoro with a really curled eyebrow.

"Nice to meet you," Sanji said calmly with a covered plate in his hand. "Now if you don`t mind, you`re probably hungry, so I whipped up something for you to eat."

As he lifted the cover, Luffy and I almost drooled at the same time. Sanji made a serving of spaghetti covered in a three meat sauce with meatballs twice the size of golf balls, cheese-filled garlic bread sticks, and a bowl of rigatoni in the same meat sauce. My stomach growled like a half-starved bear that just found a barrel of fish lying on the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luffy grab for the plate, and in an instant (at least that`s what I was told how long it took), I grabbed my plate, threw it into the air, did a back flip, landed perfectly on the railing in front of the room I was in, and caught my plate without disturbing the contents of my meal. I uncovered my meal again and began to eat, and after a few seconds of stuffing my face, I realized they were all looking at me in amazement (Luffy and Chopper had stars in their eyes), except for Robin, who was looking much calmer than the others.

After swallowing my food, I asked, "What?" Then I realized where I was. "How did I get up here?"

"You jumped," Robin replied calmly, "and with those kinds of movements, I`d say you`re a martial artist."

"You think so?" I asked. As I was about to start stuffing my face again, Luffy spoke up.

"Hey, Kakusei, wanna join my crew?" he asked earnestly.

"Give me a minute to finish my food," I said, "then we`ll talk."

After I finished my food, I sat back and patted my stomach with the enjoyment of the delicious meal Sanji made. "Thanks for the great meal, Sanji."

"You`re welcome," Sanji replied.

"So are you gonna join my crew or not?!?!" Luffy asked in anticipation.

"Well," I said with a pondering look on my face, "I`ve decided to GAHHH!!!" An enormous wave of pain surges through my head, a few seconds feels like an eternity of pain. Then it just stops. I look around and see nothing but darkness. Then hundreds of images and scenes fly around me. Many memories are coming back to me at once. My life, I was a normal kid who had an interest in manga. I am able to analyze most any fighting move after seeing it once or twice. I am very intelligent and had mostly good grades in school, but excelled in art classes. I even published my art on the web for others to see. I read more and more manga, learning more and more ways to fight and learning martial arts moves even if I did not have the body to use them. More mangas flood into my head as more and more moves I`ve learned and want to emulate in battle flood into my head as well. But one manga stands out above them all: One Piece. Then everything clears but what is in One Piece. All the images shown before me are of my new friends and their adventures up to this point. Their pasts are shown before me as my own memories, but I read about them, not lived them. I`m wondering what the hell is going on here, when I hear a voice.

"Hey, Kakusei, you alright?" Luffy asks me as I wake up. "You passed out as you were answering."

"Oh, sorry about that," I said trying to hide what happened to me. "Well, my answer is…yes. I will join your crew Luffy. I`ll be a Straw-hat pirate. Who knows? Maybe the rest of my memories will come back along the trip."

"Yeah!" Luffy exclaims. "Tonight we party in honor of our new crewmate!"

"Yeah!" everyone else exclaims. I just sit there and smile at them, but my heart feels heavy over what I now know.

"Kakusei seems upset," Robin thought to herself. "I`ll talk to him tonight after the party."


	3. Chapter 3

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 3: Nighttime with Nico Robin**

The party was great. We started the soiree with a kanpai from the whole crew. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were dancing around like the kids they were. Zoro was drinking sake like it was air or water, and Sanji was showing his affection towards Nami and Robin. The party lasted for a few hours, but it`s over now. It`s about ten or eleven at night, and I just came up on the mast`s crossbeam to sit and think about all that`s happened today. In a few hours, I went from a person who had no idea where he came from, to a guy from another world who has some of his memory back, but still no idea how he got to another world and why I`ve gained a physique that most athletes back home would kill for. I had just a few questions before, but now I`m left with more questions than answers. I was thinking things over when I heard some footsteps from behind me. It was Robin, checking on me I guess.

"Mind if I join you up there?" she asked me.

"Not at all," I replied. She used her powers to make some arms on the side of the mast, and walked up them like stairs. When she got closer, I gave her my hand and lifted her up pretty easily. I certainly don`t remember bring this strong, from what I remember anyway. "So why are you out here this late?"

"That`s what I was going to ask you," she replied calmly. "You seemed pretty sad before the party started. What`s the matter?"

"It`s nothing," I replied, trying not to look her in the face. "I just got a memory back I didn`t really want to remember."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, in a calm yet inquisitive voice. "I`ll try not to judge."

"If I told you," I started, "you probably wouldn`t believe me."

"I`ve seen some strange things in this world," Robin replied smiling a bit. "I`ve learned that almost anything is possible in this world."

"That is true. This is One Piece," I thought to myself. "Alright, but you have to promise to keep this between us until I want to tell the others," I told hear sternly.

"I promise," Robin said calmly.

"Well, the truth is…" I started slowly. "…I`m from another world where this world is chronicled as a manga by a man called Eiichiro Oda, and the same thing has been done to other worlds by different people. I`m just an ordinary 18-year-old guy who is an avid manga fan gifted with slightly greater intelligence and good art skills. I know everything that has happened to Luffy from his meeting his friend Coby, whom Zoro met, up until now when you met up with Luffy and joined his crew after he beat the shit out of Crocodile. I have no idea how I got here, or why I have a super-human physique, but all I know is I`m here. That`s it. If you want to call me crazy, go ahead."

"Wow," Robin said with an astonished look on her face which I can`t recall ever seeing from her. "That`s a new one. I`m... I… I don`t know what to say."

"Do you think I`m crazy?" I asked looking down at the deck.

"No, not at all," she said. My face lit up immediately. "I`ve got a feeling you`re telling the truth. But I have to ask, why did you come up here to think about this?"

"The night sky just calms me, I`ve always felt that way," I replied, looking up at the starry sky.

"The night sky calms me too," Robin said looking at me. "I`m going to bed now. What about you?"

"I`ll hit the sack in a little bit," I replied looking at the sky, again. "I want to sit out here a little longer."

"I`d like to hear more about your world and the other stories you`ve read," Robin said. "Would you like to tell me some time?"

"Sure," I said. "But it`d have to be when everyone else is asleep. I don`t want them to find out just yet."

"Of course," Robin said in reply. "Good night."

"Good night," I replied as she closed the door. I don`t know what it is, but talking with her made me feel much easier about being here. This trip is definitely gonna be a good thing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 4: Powers of Persuasion**

The next day, I woke up feeling refreshed after my talk with Robin. I asked where we were headed, and I found out we were trying to go to an island in the sky. That triggered another memory, but this time it wasn`t painful. It was more like Déjà Vu, a bit distracting and nothing else. I remembered that there was an island name Jaya nearby and suggested we should go there for info on the sky island. Nami thought it was a good idea, and Luffy and Sanji agreed as we were getting low on food. Then another memory hit me as some wood was falling from the sky. Wasn`t a ship supposed to… and then I looked up. "Shit." The ship hit the water and barely missed us. My life would have flashed before my eyes if it weren`t for the whole amnesia thing.

After Robin analyzed the skull for its age, we decided to check out the wreckage of the fallen ship. Sanji, Luffy and Zoro went down to check it out while the rest of us stayed above. I was never a perfect swimmer anyway. A few minutes later, a ship pulled up with a captain named Masira. He looked like a big ape in a pair of overalls.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Usopp asked him.

"None of your business," Masira replied.

**"What are you doing here?"** I asked in a stern voice. A strange feeling ran through my body at that point, but I just shook it off.

"I have claim on all sunken ships that are in the vicinity of Jaya," he replied quite quickly. "I use my skills to bring them back up and examine them."

"Now why didn`t you answer when I asked?!?!" Usopp yelled, commenting this.

"Wow," Masira thought, "What`s with this guy? What was that feeling that hit me? I was compelled, no, more like ordered to tell him what he wanted to know."

"Wait, bring them back up?" Nami asked.

"Crap, the guys are still down there," Usopp whispered among us.

"What happens if he finds them?" Chopper asked.

"I think we`ll be alright," I said calmly. "If he tries anything, I can still wipe the floor with him."

"Yeah, but what about his crew?" Nami said worriedly.

"Good point," I said back.

"We should probably just play this out," Robin said with a good insight of wisdom.

"Right," the rest of us agreed.

"But we can`t let him know about the air pumps," Nami said.

"Right," the rest of us repeated.

After telling his crew basically to show off, Masira sent down a claw with a net attached to grab the ship. It must have caught it as they then sent their figurehead of all things down to retrieve it. Then, surprisingly enough, he blew air into it, and began to raise the ship. But when his crew yelled for help, he dove in after them. What loyalty. Then a giant sea turtle (much bigger than any one I remember) ate Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Masira, and the ship.

"If we don`t cut the air pipes," Robin started as we were being towed by the turtle, "We`ll be pulled under along with the boat."

"Cut the ropes for our safety," Nami said almost coldly.

"How about I just make him spit them out?" I said winding up for a punch, as Chopper and Usopp were calling Nami a devil. Just then, the sky turned black as Masira`s crew was getting ready to rescue him. Then the turtle spit out Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro with their bags of treasure, and Masira quickly followed them out on his own power, hopping mad. Then we all looked and saw them: the silhouettes of three huge figures against the clouds. Then everyone but Robin and I flipped out, and we high-tailed it out of there. Somehow, Masira ended up on our ship, so we promptly gave him a first-class exit on the foot express. Luckily, Robin stole an eternal Log Pose from Masira`s ship for Jaya, which was coincidentally where I suggested going. Later, we saw some birds flying near our ship, but then they just dropped dead. Chopper analyzed them and discovered they were shot from in front of our ship.

"Shooting from an island we can`t see," Nami said ", that`s impossible."

"Not really," I said calmly. "You just need a gun that has a long enough barrel, a bullet which is more aerodynamic, and a larger amount of gunpowder to propel the bullet the longer distance. If one is lacking, you just need to make up the difference in either of the other two. I`d say maybe an inch or two of gunpowder in a packed casing with a gun barrel about four feet long ought to do it."

"You think so?"Usopp asked me as the rest of the crew was astounded by my knowledge of weaponry.

'Yeah," I said. "Some people can shoot a bullet a good mile or two away from a target and hit a bull`s-eye. Anyway, gunfire from that direction means there is an island that way, and not too far. Jaya must be pretty close."

"Agreed," Robin said in my defense. "We should get there very soon."

When we landed on Jaya at Mock Town, Luffy and Zoro went ahead to find info on Skypeia, and Nami soon followed them, as to prevent them from causing trouble. "Hey, Kakusei," Robin said to me aside, "let`s go get some clothes and try to find some info on Skypiea ourselves."

"Sure," I said with a big grin on my face. We snuck of the ship without Sanji, Usopp, or Chopper seeing us. After walking around a little, we soon noticed that many pirates were here, so we tried to keep a low profile. We stopped in a clothing store and I grabbed a few items I liked, and I had a tailor make some copies of my original outfit, without the mended holes.

Robin came out of the dressing room and showed off one of her new outfits. "What do you think?" I almost had a nosebleed which shot me through the wall. She looked amazing in that leopard print top and purple shorts , and I think my spirit left my body for a split second.

"It… it`s lovely," I said trying not to look at her straight on. She bought several outfits, and I ended up carrying the bags. They weren`t heavy, it was just hard to keep them all in order. I could tell where everyone in the crowd was, even though I couldn`t see through the bags. I dodged a large group of people and I recognized one of them as Sarquiss from Bellamy`s crew, from my memories. "Luffy better not fight, they`re coming for him," I thought to myself.

Later, we found a local informant after snooping around. He seemed a little seedy, but after we paid him with the rest of our money, he started talking. "I do remember something about a Sky Island somewhere, but I can`t remember what it was. I`m sure if I had a little more money, I`d remember."

"We gave you the last of your money," Robin replied calmly.

"Well then," our informant replied smugly, "I guess you`re out of luck, lady."

"**Why don`t you tell the lady what she wants to know?"** I said in a low voice almost glaring at him**.** That feeling from before came back. It was like it washed over me or surged through me, this time stronger.

"O…okay, OKAY, I`ll tell you what I know!" our informant said quickly, looking like he was ready to soil himself in fear. "There`s an old fairy tale that involves an island in the sky, and there`s a guy who knows more about it here on this island."

"**Where would we find this guy?" **I asked again, the feeling still there.

"He`s on the other side of the island," our informant said quicker this time. "I`ll give you a map and mark his residence. His name is Montblanc Cricket. He was exiled for talking about his dreams."

"Thank you for that info," I said, calmer now. That feeling had disappeared again.

"Thanks," Robin said, as we left for the ship.

"What the hell was that?" the informant asked himself as we left.


	5. Chapter 5

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 5: 3:10 To Skypiea**

A little later on our way back, Robin struck up a conversation. "You certainly seem to have a way with persuading people."

"Yeah," I replied, "it seems so."

"I`d also like to know how you knew about how a gun could shoot that far," she asked inquisitively.

"Actually," I said, "that type of gun does exist in my world. It`s called a sniper rifle, for good reason. Many of those bullets can kill people from a mile or two away, and some can pierce heavy armor."

"My, your world seems very advanced," she replied in interest. "What other technologies does your world have?" So I began to tell her of the many different inventions we take for granted, like cars, airplanes, and bullet trains. Television, computers, the internet, and our schooling system amazed her, even if she didn`t show it completely. My knowledge of ancient and modern weaponry was vast, and she appreciated it. But what really amazed her was the history behind my world, the sheer age of my world, and how much we knew of it, from the age of the dinosaurs, to medieval times, to ancient and feudal Japan, to the Revolutionary War, the modern era, and everywhere in between was what drew her into my stories. "Wow, I didn`t know your world was so diversified. I`d really love to hear more about your schooling system and your governments."

"I`ll tell you later, I promise," I said, "We`re getting closer to the Merry." We got on the Merry and saw Luffy and Zoro being bandaged up. After learning what happened to them, we told them what we learned. "We found out there is a place on this island we can go to find out more about Skypiea. We even got a map that shows where it is."

"Wow," Nami said excitedly, "how did you get this?"

"Kakusei can be very persuasive when he wants to," Robin said slyly. "But I also learned what job Kakusei should have on our ship."

"REALLY?!?!?" Luffy exclaimed. "What job? Is he a musician?"

"No," Robin replied, "I think Kakusei should be our combat and weapons specialist. His knowledge is very extensive."

"That`s true," Usopp said. "I did some calculations, and what Kakusei said about the gun range is true."

"So it`s settled," Luffy said. "Kakusei is our weapons specialist!"

"A weapons specialist," I said to myself. "I like the sound of that."

And with that, we set off for Cricket`s home. On the way, we got stopped by an annoying orangutan guy named Shojo, who`s brother was Masira, and he got ticked off at us and used a sonic attack to try to destroy us. We got out of his range quickly, and soon thereafter, we saw Cricket`s house. It looked like a castle at first, but then we saw the castle was just plywood and his real house was behind it. After looking around for a little bit, we found a storybook about the King of Liars, Norland. We read it and found out that there was once gold on Jaya. Nami got excited, and then Luffy was pulled into the water. A middle-aged man with a chestnut on his head came out of the water and asked us, "Who the hell are you people?"

"It`s polite to introduce yourself before others introduce themselves to you," I said stepping forward. "Usopp, go save Luffy."

"R…right," Usopp said as he dived in after Luffy.

"You punks got a lot of guts to enter a man`s house without permission," the man said. "This area is my territory."

"You sound like those monkeys," I replied cracking my knuckles.

"You`re all after the gold, right?" he said slowly. "Prepare to die!"

"Sorry," I said with a smirk on my face, "I prefer living right now."

The man charged forward, I stood my ground, and then I blacked out. I was still standing, but I couldn`t move. Then I saw more memories come back, these ones still manga, but also television shows, all of fighters, what else, fighting. Their moves were laid out before me, but a manga stood above most of the techniques seen. History`s Strongest Disciple Kenichi was the title, and it was a martial arts manga, through which I saw many different techniques. A few stood out, and in a few seconds, I remembered how to execute them all. I was snapped back into the fight at hand, and I knew which techniques to use. He swung a kick at me, and I used the footwork of Ba Gua to slip up his footing. He recovered before he hit the ground, and came at me with a flurry of punches. I calmed my mind and used the Seikuken, a technique from the manga, which creates a near perfect defense. I deflected all of the man`s attacks without hurting him. As I was about to throw my first punch, the man dropped to the ground. After Luffy was rescued, we took the man inside his house so Chopper could treat him. Chopper said he had decompression sickness, or dysbarism, and said if he chilled off for a bit, he would be fine. Then Masira and Shojo showed up, and after overreacting a little, they told us that this guy was the boss of the Saruyama Alliance, the alliance they made with him. This guy I just fought was the guy we were looking for, Montblanc Cricket. After asking him about the sky island, and hearing his life story, they decided to give us a hand in getting to Sky Island.

The only way we were able to get up to where the sky island might be was by the Knock-Up Stream, which had a possibility of killing us if we missed our target. The next one was at Noon tomorrow, just in time so our Log Pose wouldn`t change. Convenient, huh? Well, after that deal was made, we had a party. Everyone was happy, and Robin and I were going over Norland`s journal and read the last page, which read, "In the skull`s right eye, gold is seen." Cricket told us he didn`t know what that meant either, but it did seem familiar to me. Something I`ve read I guess. Then another memory came back.

"Hey, Cricket," I asked. "If this island has its own magnetic field, how are we supposed to find North and South?"

"Holy shit!" Cricket, Masira, and Shojo exclaimed. "We forgot! We need one of those South birds like this idol!"

"Why?" Luffy asked.

"Because the South bird has a natural compass," I answered. "A South bird`s head always points south."

"Bingo," Cricket said pointing at me. "We`ll fix your ship up, you guys go get the South bird."

"Got it," we said as we left for the forest, nets in hand.

We got in about the center of the forest, and decided to split up in three groups. Sanji, Nami, and Usopp went in one group, Luffy and Chopper went in another, and Robin, Zoro, and I went in the third. We followed what we guessed was the South bird`s chirping. Then we saw a group of beetles ready for a fight. Then I remembered something very important. "Zoro, the south bird is commanding the island`s insects!"

"What?!?" he remarked as we readied ourselves for a fight. We beat the beetles up, but caught up with the others and relayed what I remembered.

"So how are we going to catch it?" Luffy asked.

Then we heard it. Chopper said the bird was mocking us, and then I remembered another technique, and this was a doozy. I focused on where the South bird was, and a split second later, I teleported behind it. The shock I delivered the South bird (and my friends) was long enough to grab the South bird and hold its beak shut. "Gotcha, you little bastard," I said as I walked it over to my crewmates.

"How did you do that?" Luffy asked, with stars in his, Chopper`s, and Usopp`s eyes.

"That`s a technique called Instant Transmission," I replied. "I picked up over the course of my life. Teleportation at the speed of light by using my Ki."

"Cool," Sanji said. "Anyway, we should get back to Cricket."

When we got back, we were in for a shock. The Saruyama Alliance had the crap kicked out of them, the Going Merry was broken in half (Titanic style), and Cricket`s gold was gone. Then another memory hit me.

"Bellamy," I said my voice low but rising in anger, "that bastard did this, didn`t he?"

"Yeah, but don`t worry about it," Cricket said. "What`s important is that you guys got a South bird. We`ll finish your ship."

"But your injuries!" Chopper said worried.

"Luffy, you thinking what I`m thinking?" I asked still speaking low.

"Yeah," he replied. "Guys, Kakusei and I are heading into town."

"What for? We need to leave in a few hours," Nami replied.

"We`re getting Cricket`s gold back," I said walking towards town with Luffy at my left. "Wait a minute. Hey Luffy, let`s see how fast I can run with a person on my back at full speed."

"Whatever gets us there fastest," he said as he got on my back.

"Then let`s go!" I bolted as fast as I could and a split second later, I saw the others behind us about a mile away. "I guess I`m pretty fast when I want to be," I said jokingly.

"Yeah," Luffy said seriously. "We`ll be there in a few minutes, right?"

"Right," I replied as we began to see the light of town.

When we arrived, we both got in the center of town and yelled at the top of our lungs, "BELLAMY!!! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!?!?!"

He walked out and said,"We were just talking about you. Do you and your friend have something to say to me?"

"Yeah, give back Ossan`s gold," Luffy said as seriously as possible.

"You mean Old man Cricket`s treasure?" Bellamy replied. Then he sprung up to the top of a tower, and Luffy followed suit. "I shouldn`t have to do that. It`s my loot as a pirate. You are a pirate too. You don`t have the right to say stuff like that to me."

"Yes I do," Luffy replied. "They are my friends. So I will take the gold back to them."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Bellamy howled at the top of his lungs. "Let me ask you this. Can you fight? Do you know how to throw a punch? HAHAHAHA!!! What can trash like you do? If you stand there like an idiot just like yesterday, then you won`t be able to take anything from me, wimp!!!"

"What happened yesterday is a different matter," Luffy said calmly. I`ll give it to him, Luffy does have his wise moments.

"HAHAHAHA!" Bellamy laughed. "Really? What`s different this time? Then this time I will beat you up until you won`t ever dare to bluff like that again!" Bellamy broke the tower using his powers and landing against another, said, "I will destroy you in an instant." He launched himself at Luffy and called out, "Spring Snipe!" Luffy jumped down to the town square, but everyone else thought he fell. Something was different when I was watching this fight. I was seeing and feeling a light around every person here. It must have been Ki. It made sense, as I just used Instant Transmission earlier. Some were stronger than others, and compared to Luffy`s Ki, Bellamy`s was a candle flame to a wildfire. Bellamy was going to get his ass handed to him. "He survived?" Bellamy asked surprised obviously. "Well then, taste my Spring Hopper!" Bellamy then began shooting around the town at high speeds, increasing with each bounce.

"Bellamy disappeared!" one bystander said.

"It`s the same move he used to kill Roshio the Executioner," another bystander said.

They couldn`t see Bellamy, but I could. His Ki aura left a huge trail as he flew by, and his movements seemed even slower than that. I could see him move as if I were running by him. And by what I could tell, Luffy could too.

"That old man and his monkeys are just like you! They`re idiots who believe in a 400-year-old lie made by lying ancestors," Bellamy yelled as he flew around. "Golden city… Sky Island… The age of daydreamers is over. You bastards are the shame of all pirates!" Oh, he was in for it now.

"You asked if I knew how to throw a punch, right?" Luffy said holding his right hand up and cracking his knuckles.

"Farewell, Mugiwara!" Bellamy said as he flew directly at Luffy. And Luffy just slammed him into the ground as if Bellamy had just walked up to him and said, "Punch me in the face as hard as you can." The crowd was awestruck as just sat there and smiled at the bastard with the imprint of Luffy`s fist on his face. He had it coming.

"Hey, quit fooling around, Bellamy!?" Sarquiss said, increasing in volume and anxiety as he asked his questions. "Are you trying to play us? Hey, Bellamy! Stop acting like a retard! Get up! Show us your stuff like you usually do!! Bellamy! You are the 'Big-Time Rookie' with a bounty of 55 million!!!" And then he saw Luffy`s poster as it flew in his face. He flipped out.

"Ossan`s gold," Luffy said simply. "Give it to me!!" The crowd flipped out and gave him the gold.

As we were walking away, Sarquiss had a thought. "If I kill him, my bounty will go up, and I`ll get a huge amount of Beri!" He grabbed his giant Kukri knife, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him jump up in the air. "Die, Mugiwara!!! BIG CHOP!!!" In a split second, I turned around completely and grabbed his knife between my left index and forefingers with Sarquiss in mid-air, still holding his knife. "Wha… what the?"

"Now that`s low," I said in a voice which was almost a growl, "attacking someone when their back is turned." I held up my right hand and a Ki blast began to form, almost at will.

"Wha…wait a minute," Sarquiss said, begging for mercy. "Don`t kill me, please!"

"Nighty-night," I said, the blast at full power. "HA!!!!" The blast shot off from my hands just as you would expect a Ki blast to. Sarquiss was still hanging onto his knife after the blast hit him, singed pretty bad and covered in ashes. So I flicked my finger holding the knife and sent Sarquiss a few meters away. "Sweet dreams…oh, wait, you don`t believe in dreams do you?" I said as I turned towards Luffy and walked away.

"Who was that guy?" one of the bystanders said, "he wasn`t on a wanted poster."

"He will be soon if he`s that strong," a second bystander commented.

"That was so cool!!!" Luffy said with stars in his eyes on the way back. "You fired a beam!!!"

"It`s a good skill, isn`t it?" I said playing around with my Ki like it was a toy.

"Hey, Kakusei," Luffy said, "I want to ask you something."

"Shoot," I replied.

"We each have a dream in my crew," Luffy said looking at the sky. "What`s your dream?"

"My dream?" I repeated. Well, I couldn`t tell him I was living my dream, being a Mugiwara pirate and living out the adventures I wanted to most. "Well, I`d have to say… I want to become one of the strongest fighters out there. I want to be strong enough to protect my friends and loved ones from anyone who may want to do them harm."

"That`s pretty noble of you," he replied. "That`s a good dream to strive for."

"Thanks," I replied looking embarrassed, and then I looked towards Luffy and saw him running off. "Hey, where are you going? We need to get back to the others!!!"

"It`s a Hercules beetle!!!" he said chasing after a Hercules beetle. "I`m gonna catch it!!!"

I laughed to myself and shook my head. "And this guy`s my captain?" Well, I wanted to do this. "Hey, Luffy, wait up!!!"

After we caught the beetle and got back, we saw the Going Merry with its upgrade. It looked more like a chicken than a bird."You do realize domestic chickens and roosters can`t fly."

"That`s not what I`m worried about!!" Nami yelled.

We gave back Cricket`s gold, and he gave us a final word. "This is ROMANTIC!!!"

We thanked him for his hospitality and the Saruyama Alliance guided us to our destination. When we got there, a whirlpool of all things started to suck us down. Oh, this ride is going to be worse than any roller coaster. "Time for the ride of our lives, guys!!!" And then a sea king got sucked down by the current. "Holy… And now the cloud`s covering us completely!" It was as dark as midnight. And then we were flying for a second. I knew what was heading our way. "We`re going up soon, aren`t we?" I said to Nami.

"Most likely," she replied. And then a guy with a scraggly black beard and a small crew showed up on a larger version of a makeshift raft. Something about this guy just rubbed me the wrong way.

"Mugiwara! I`m here for your head which is worth 100 million!" he said in a loud voice. "Surrender to us now!"

"What do you mean 100 million?" Luffy asked.

"Your bounty is 100 million and "Pirate Hunter" Zoro`s is 60 million!" he yelled again.

"Nice job, you guys," I said.

'"Heard that? 100 million!" Luffy exclaimed.

"60 million? I`m not satisfied," Zoro said.

"You two!! Don`t be so cocky!!" Nami yelled at Luffy and Zoro. Then we started to rise up.

"Everyone get inside or hang onto something sturdy!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Then we all screamed as we flew up into the sky.


	6. Chapter 6

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 6: Skypiea Saga, START!!**

"This ROCKS!!!" I yelled as we shot up into the sky.

"How can you be enjoying this!?!" Nami yelled at me with her angry face. "We could die!"

"Crap," Sanji said as Luffy and I were reveling in the ride, "if we keep going like this, we`ll fall off!" And then we saw a ship and the sea king that got sucked up earlier fall down below us. "We`ll end up like that if we don`t do something."

"Set the sail down! Hurry!" Nami said, now calmed down. "Water vapors are coming from below."

"She`s right," I said. "This is an updraft!"

"If the opponents are the sea and air, we will sail on. In their faces!" Nami said with a smile on her face. "After all, who is this ship`s navigator?"

As Zoro, Robin, and I were standing on the wall, Sanji replied with stars in his eyes, "It`s Nami-san, of course!"

"Let the wind push right, to turn the ship to the left!" Nami ordered staunchly. "Make the body of the ship parallel to the stream! Hurry!"

"Yes, ma`am!" we replied as we started going to work.

"Waaahhh! This is bad!" Chopper exclaimed freaking out. "The ship is starting to slip away from the stream! We`re falling down! Nami come up with a plan, quick!!!"

"No need," Nami said calmly, "we`re all set! The Merry`s flying!"

"So cool! The ship is flying in the sky!" Luffy exclaimed loudly.

"Really?!" Usopp said, shocked.

"I did it," Nami said relieved.

"Of course you did," I said looking at her, "you`re a great navigator."

"Thanks," Nami said, blushing a little.

"Nami-san, you`re awesome!" Sanji said, again with hearts in his eyes.

"If we stay on this wind and stream," Nami said, "no matter where, we can ascend there."

"Hey, Nami," Luffy yelled, "are we going to be at Sky Island soon?"

"If it exists," Nami replied, "it should be behind that piece of cloud."

"Wow," I said, "we`re so close." Then we entered the Eternal Cumulonimbus. Wow, it was hard to breathe. It was like being underwater. That I did not expect. After we got through the clouds, the wings broke off and we landed on top of the clouds. We were all coughing and choking on the fact we couldn`t breathe for like a minute and the air up here was thin. After taking in the spectacular view (which reminded me of looking out a window in an airplane), Usopp decided to go for a swim.

After a few minutes, Usopp hadn`t gotten back and Robin had a thought. "Is there really a sea floor to this?"

"Oh crap!" I said as I dove in after Usopp.

As I was heading in, I heard Sanji say, "I told that idiot not to dive in."

"Kakusei, wait!!" Robin said just after I dived in. I kept rocketing deeper and deeper into the cloud, it hit me. In my haste to save Usopp, I forgot to give myself a way to get back to the ship. Crap. I always was a little impulsive. Then another memory triggered. Flight was possible in another world. It was a ki-based technique from the world of Dragon Ball. I guess that`s where I learned how to control my ki. I guess that`s also how I`m diving so fast. Then I exited the cloud and saw Usopp to the left of me, out cold. I flew over to him and shot back up to the ship. On my way, I could feel something was following me. I shot back into the sky like a rocket, in full view of the crew.

"You did it!" Nami said, as Luffy and Chopper were looking at me again with stars in their eyes.

"I sure did!" I said sarcastically as a squid the size of one of the heads on Mount Rushmore popped up from the cloud.

Chopper and Nami were screaming their heads off as Zoro jumped forward. "Nothing to be scared about." In one stroke he slashed the tentacle of the squid, and it POPPED?!?! Then Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro took care of the creatures. I would have helped, but I felt so tired, like I weighed about ten to twenty times heavier. And I think my ki lessened as well, or is at least harder to control.

Anyway, the animals here were pretty cool. They seemed to have evolved to survive in the clouds. Air-filled squids, flat fish with feather-like scales, man there was nothing like this back home. And Luffy had Sanji cook the fish that was in Usopp`s pants. Only if I was starving would I have eaten that fish. Then Chopper pointed out a ship and a guy near it. Then the ship blew up. And of course, the guy who apparently blew it up came towards us. Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, and I tried to fight him off, but we got our asses handed to us. Then an old man wearing knight`s armor and riding a bird came and scared the other guy off. He asked us if we were alright, and Nami got pissed off that it was four on one and we lost.

"Tsk, that was embarrassing," Sanji said, catching his breath.

"For some reason," Zoro commented, "my body can`t move very well."

"That`s because the oxygen is scarce here," Robin revealed.

"Are you citizens of the Blue Sea?" the knight asked us.

"What do you mean?" I asked breathing heavily.

"Who are you?" Nami asked.

"I would be the 'knight of the sky'," the knight replied. "All living things under the clouds are citizens of the Blue Sea. In other words, you came up from where the sea is blue?"

"Yeah," Luffy replied while lying on the deck, "that`s right."

"It can`t be helped then," the knight said. "This place is 7000 meters above the blue seas is called the White Sea. And 10000 meters above is called the White-White Sea. The bodies of average citizens from the Blue Seas cannot handle it." The others got used to it a few seconds after that, while it took me about a minute. Why did I suddenly slow down?

Turns out this knight was a mercenary-for-hire, and wanted to charge us five million Extol for a whistle to call him. It also turns out there are other Sky Islands and there are other ways to get to the Sky Sea. So we took the almost-always-fatal road. Lucky us. He handed us a whistle which would call him, and he told us, for our bravery, the first whistle using the whistle was free. After that five million Extol per use.

"Wait we don`t even know your name!" Nami said as the knight began to leave.

"I am Gan Fall, the knight of the sky!" he replied "This is my partner, Pierre!" Then his bird squawked. "And before I forget, Pierre even though he`s a bird, the has the power of the Uma Uma no Mi, which means he can become a winged horse!"

"A Pegasus!?!" I said in disbelief.

"That`s right," Gan fall replied, "a Pegasus!" Yeah, a retarded-looking Pegasus.

"In the end," Robin replied, "he didn`t tell us anything useful."

"Not at all," I said. "So how do we get higher?"

"Let`s call Ossan and ask him," Luffy said as he grabbed the whistle.

"Wa-wa-wa-wait! Wait a minute, Luffy!" Nami said while holding Luffy`s throat in a death grip. "This is only for an emergency."

"If that weird mask guy comes again, what will we do without the whistle?" Usopp said while stretching out Luffy`s cheek.

"Let`s get the ship moving," Zoro said.

"Hey, look over there," Chopper said.

"What`s that?" Robin said looking in the direction Chopper indicated. "It looks like a waterfall, but…"

"That cloud is weird, right?" Chopper commented.

"At least it`s something," I said. "We should probably head over that way."

"Then it`s decided," Luffy said. "Let`s go over and check it out!!" When we got there, there was a huge cloud in the way. However, this cloud was solid and soft too. Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp were bouncing on it. While up there, they found a path through the clouds to a gate. It was really fancy and in giant letters were the words "Heaven`s Gate". The gatekeeper was an old woman with a camera who said that we had to pay one billion Extol per person to get through the gate. She said we could still go up even if we didn`t pay. And since we didn`t have any Extol, that was pretty convenient. Then after Luffy told her our intentions, a giant shrimp-like creature grabbed our ship and took us up the spiraling cloud path. The exit was the entrance to Skypiea. We made it!

Now that was a sight. An entire city built on clouds. We landed and walked on the beach, which was made of cloud as well. Now that was cool, walking on clouds. After exploring around for a few minutes, we saw a fox and heard a harp playing.

"Hey," Sanji said, "there`s someone over there."

"Is it another guerilla?" Usopp said as we all turned to look.

"Wait, that`s not it," Sanji said, "it`s an angel!!"

"An angel?" I said, surprised a little. Well, today was certainly a plethora of surprises. Her name was Conis, and Sanji was more infatuated with her than any other girl I`ve seen him fall for. Then her father, Pagaya, came in on a waver, crashed right into a tree, and asked US if anyone was hurt. Then we remembered that Luffy pilled a waver out of the ship that crashed back near Jaya. We asked how it ran and they asked us if we knew about dials. Then Luffy got to test drive Pagaya`s waver, and quickly crashed it and sank into the clouds like a rock. And even though it takes a good deal of practice to control a waver, from what Pagaya and Conis told us, Nami drove the waver like she had been doing it all her life. Nami stayed out and rode the waver a bit more, and the rest of us headed back to Pagaya`s house for some Skypiea cuisine. On the way, Pagaya explained how the cloud islands are formed and at their house, Conis explained how many dials work and are created. Then when the food was served, Sanji was wondering where Nami was, and Conis thought that she might have gone to the forbidden land, Upper Yard. Apparently their god, Enel lives there, and no one should set foot there. Then Luffy`s eyes lit up. Here we go, now Luffy wants to go there.

Anyway, Pagaya offered to fix the waver Luffy found, and then some weird guys that looked like they were in the military crawled up to Luffy, Conis, and Pagaya on the ground in plain sight. They are not being stealthy in the least. And then their leader called us a bunch of illegal trespassers. How rude! As a punishment, we had to pay ten times the entry fee. Luckily, 10000 Extol equals 1 beri so that wouldn`t be as much. Then Nami pulled up, and after Usopp told her we had to pay the 7 million beri, she nailed the leader in the face with the waiver. Oh, we`re screwed now. Then the squad fired arrows at us which made clouds in their wake. Luffy pushed Nami out of the way and dodged the clouds. Then the squad skated along the clouds to attack Luffy, but he grabbed a tree and slingshot himself above them.

Luffy began to rotate 360 degrees and said, "Gomu Gomu no Hanabi!" Arms and legs shot out in all directions, nailing all the squad members at once. And then the leader said the priests of Upper Yard would personally judge us. Well, we`re pirates, we`re supposed to be chased by the authorities. And then it hit us.

"Hey, Conis," I asked, "how do we get down from the White-White Sea?"

"You must first get back down to the White Sea, and then head far east to a place called "Cloud End," Conis replied. Then I went with Sanji, Usopp, and Luffy to get the food from the meal together to take with us. A few minutes later, we heard Nami screaming. Another, faster giant shrimp was hauling the rest of our crew and the Going Merry away!

"Why did Nami put her t-shirt on?" Sanji said sadly.

"Get over it!" Usopp yelled at him. "Hey, Luffy! This is bad! What do we do now?"

"Where are they going?" Luffy asked.

"Good question," I retorted.

"They are going to the northeast portion of Upper Yard," Pagaya said slowly, "to the sacrificial altar. They will be sacrifices."

"Sacrifices!?!?!" I yelled.

"Nami-san and Robin-chan and the others will become sacrifices!!?" Sanji exclaimed. "Sacrifices for the god!!?" Then we pulled out the map we found, and Pagaya showed us how to get to the altar in Upper Yard, which was our trial. As we walked down main street to the docks, everyone avoided us, most likely due to the fact we were criminals. I could tell that military leader and his squad were following us, but I ignored them for now. We got to the docks and Conis showed us our vessel, Karasu-maru. Luffy wanted a cooler-looking one, but Sanji beat him for making Conis upset.

Before we left, Luffy asked, "Hey Conis, why have you been shaking since we left?" She broke down and said she called for the express shrimp which took our friends. She told us if she hadn`t turned us in, everyone would be killed.

"You`re really stupid," Luffy began, "You did it because you had no other choice, right!!? So why…"

"WHY DID YOU TELL US!!!?" we all said in unison.

"Now you`re gonna be targeted!!" Luffy said, grabbing Conis. Then light shone down on them, and the locals were saying the "Judgment" was beginning. Luffy tried to get Conis out of the way, but the range of the judgment was too big. Gan fall saved them both, and decided to watch over Conis for a while. He asked us if we still wanted to go forward. "This country`s business had nothing to do with us," Luffy replied. "But we have Nakama on God`s island." He wished us luck and left. "Alright let`s go to Upper Yard!"

"Hold on," I said. "Before we go I want to do one thing real quick."

"Okay, what?" Sanji asked.

"This," I said charging ki into my fingertip and pointing it at the White Beret leader.

"Hey, wait a minute," he said, seeing I was ready to fire.

"REIGUN!!!" I shouted as I shot the ki from my fingertip like a bullet right at the back of his head as he crawled away. It knocked him out cold, and I was satisfied. "Hey, the way I figure it, we`re wanted for attacking them anyway, so why not?"

"Good enough for me," Luffy said smiling. "Now, we go on to Upper Yard!!!"

A distance away, a figure in a black cloak and a steel mask shaped like a wolf`s face looked at the Karasu-maru and it`s small group of riders. "It seems those limiters are doing their job well," he said. "Kakusei shouldn`t be too powerful with those gravity bracers and Ki restraints on his body. Hopefully, he`ll adapt to his new limits. This should be good." Then he disappeared into the sky as if he faded away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 7: Right in the Balls**

Sanji, Luffy, and Usopp were concerned about Conis, but I could tell she`d be fine. Anyway, I decided to meditate for a little while and try to perceive and changes in my body which may have caused me to weaken. It didn`t really help. The only thing I learned was that there was nothing wrong with my body besides the fact I felt about twenty times heavier, and that my Ki didn`t diminish, it was just harder to control and manipulate, so simple techniques took more Ki to use.

We finally got the entrance to Upper Yard, and the forest was amazing. Usopp got scared of the entrance and the skulls and shipwrecks around us. I thought it was pretty cool, and I pulled out a pad of paper and a sharpened pencil, so I could draw the landscape as best I could. Then all of a sudden, the others got excited and used the oars to move faster. Then I felt a wind blow by me, and when I looked behind I saw a guillotine blade had swung where we were. "Oh, look, a guillotine blade," I said calmly.

"How can you not be scared!" Usopp and Sanji screamed in my ear.

"HOLY SHIT!" I yelled. "THAT ALMOST HIT US!"

"You just noticed!" Usopp and Sanji yelled at me.

"Did I forget I can be a little absent-minded and lose focus?" I said nervously with my hand behind my head. "Uh guys, there`s more blades up ahead," I said as I pointed in front of us.

"Paddle as fast as you can!" Luffy yelled as the blades began to descend on us. Somehow we managed to avoid them all.

"What the hell is going on here!" Sanji said as another blade we couldn`t dodge came at us.

"Luffy, hit the brakes!" Usopp yelled. 'There`s another one coming!"

"I got this!" I said as I jumped up and turned around facing behind us.

"You`re supposed to aim this way," Usopp said as he pointed to the blade.

"Just keep going," Luffy said looking serious.

Ki began to charge in my hands as I took a very certain stance. Like I said, my Ki manipulation was hard, not impossible. The blue and white blast in my hands was fully charged in about two seconds, and I readied myself. "Ka-Me-Ha-Me-HAAAAA!" The blast shot out of my hands towards the ground, and we rocketed above the blade as it swung where we would have been. "I have always wanted to use that move."

"That was too close," Usopp said calmed down now. "The entrance is so far away."

"How about we get off now?" Luffy said bluntly.

"Idiot! We`ll die!" Usopp yelled at him.

"I was thinking the same thing," Sanji said. After a sky Lamprey attacked us, Sanji realized that we had to keep going, or we`d die. Then we came up on a gate that looked like a large statue. It had four gates, each leading to a trial: The Trial of Swamp, the Trial of Iron, the Trial of String, and the Trial of Balls. Whichever one we went through, we were gonna be tested. We ended up deciding on the Trial of Balls, but we still had to be careful. We drove through the tunnel, and we ended up choosing the path that drove off a waterfall. Of course.

When we landed, we were all pretty relieved. "I really thought… I would fall 10,000 meters…" Usopp said slowly.

"Did you say that misleading stuff on purpose, YOU BASTARD!" Sanji yelled at Luffy while he was kicking his head.

"Uhahahaha! I was scared!" Luffy said laughing. "I thought I was gonna die for sure!"

"That was pretty fun," I said with a big grin on my face.

"You`re just as crazy as he is!" Sanji and Usopp yelled at me.

"So, where are we?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Look at all the balls!" Luffy said in astonishment.

"They`re all made from island cloud," I said in astonishment.

"So cool!" Luffy said excitedly. " They look like giant snowballs!"

"The Milky Road goes through all the trees…" Sanji said in awe.

"What kind of trial is in this place?" Luffy asked.

"Who knows?" I replied.

"It`d be nice of nothing happened," Sanji commented, "but that`s not likely."

"Did we make it? Did we pick the right one?" Luffy asked insistently. "We`d probably suffer some gruesome fate right now if we had chosen another entrance!"

"Yeah!" Usopp said coming out of the fainting spell he had. "That`s probably true!"

Anyway, we began to move on, and Usopp and Luffy opened their lunchboxes. I was thinking there were four priests weren`t there? Then each gate should lead to one priest. By the look on his face, Sanji was thinking the same thing. Then Luffy and Usopp were playing catch with one of the clouds. I began to sense Ki from it, strangely enough. "Uh guys," I said, "you might want to…" And then a snake popped out of the ball, scaring us all shitless. Luffy kicked it away, and another popped up, and Sanji tried to kick it away. And it exploded. Nice. Then this retarded ball-shaped guy pops out of nowhere and tells us this is his Trial of Balls and the clouds are called "Bikkuritama" or "Surprise Balls". And then he danced on top of one, meaning that one was safe.

"Oi, Dango," Sanji yelled at the priest, "Are Nami-san and the others alright?"

"…You mean the sacrifices?" The priest answered. "In that case, I don`t know. They`ll probably die if they are left alone. But if they escape, they`ll still die…"

"What did you say!" Sanji yelled at the priest.

"You should be more worried about yourselves," the priest said almost in a mocking tone. "I`ll say it clearly; if you can`t beat me, you can`t move forward." Then he jumped off his perch, and Luffy wound up to hit him with a Gomu Gomu no Pistol.

"Hoh?" the priest said. "Stretching?"

"Wait, what did he say?" I yelled quickly. The fatty just barely dodged Luffy`s attack, and then face-palmed him, sending him flying into a tree. "How the hell did he do that? That was just a punch, right?"

"Punch?" the priest said. "There`s a little difference."

"What`s the difference?" Sanji said jumping at the priest.

"Hoh hoh!" the priest said. "An upper right kick…"

"Collier… What?" Sanji said as he was about to kick the priest.

"Again?" I said.

He dodged again, and put his palm on Sanji`s face. "A power given only to those who practice the art – Mantra!"

"This guy can predict our movements!" Sanji said before he was sent to the ground too. Usopp soon followed, and just as he was about to attack me, I wound up for a sneeze.

"Oh no," I thought. "Why do I always have to sneeze like this?" His palm was right in front of my face when I sneezed loud enough for the entire island to hear me. At the same time, a huge gust of wind blew the priest away from me, and me off the Karasu-maru.

"My name is Satori!" the priest said as he landed on top of one of the Bikkuritama. "I`m one of the priests who serve the almighty God, Enel. The vearth in this forest of illusions is under my control."

"Forest of illusions?" Luffy repeated inquisitively.

"Yes," Satori replied, "In this forest, one of the illusions is your boat."

"AAH!" Usopp screamed. "The boat is moving by itself!"

"From now on," Satori said calmly, "it will drift aimlessly on the Milky Road and will eventually exit the forest by itself. I`m sure you already understand, but without this Dial Boat, you can`t get to the sacrificial altar. You have to get back on board before it leaves. Of course, these surprise clouds and I will not allow you to succeed. Welcome to the forbidden holy land, Upper Yard. In this forest of illusions, the chance of survival is 10%! It`s the Trial of Balls!"

"Hey if we don`t get the boat back," Usopp said quickly, "if it`s really gone in this huge forest, it`ll be difficult to locate!"

"Wait, Usopp!" Sanji yelled to Usopp. "If we don`t stick together, the result will be the same! Luffy! Kakusei!"

"Go stop the boat!" Luffy said staunchly.

"And you two?" Sanji asked.

"We`ll kick this guy`s ass!" I said as Luffy and I cracked our knuckles.

"I don`t think so!" Satori said. "I have luck and honor on my side! Huhuhuh!"

"We need to distract him," Sanji said while running off. "Don`t be reckless! I`ll be back after I catch the boat!"

Luffy latched onto a tree branch and fired a Gomu Gomu no Pistol at Satori. He dodged it and grabbed Luffy`s arm, and began to swing him around in a circle. I jumped thinking "now`s my chance," but he slammed Luffy into me, saying, "That`s not gonna happen." I flew backward into the ground, and he kept swinging Luffy and promptly slammed him into a tree, getting him stuck headfirst in the trunk. I got up and he said, "Don`t panic. Take it nice and slow. Now… where are the other two? I won`t let anyone escape." I could not let him get to the others without a fight. "Found them, found them!" He jumped off a little ways after Sanji and Usopp. I struggled to get up as he kicked another Bikkuritama towards Sanji. I tried to warn Sanji, but the cloud banked off two other clouds and headed straight for Usopp. I thought it was going to explode, but a flower popped out instead. Usopp fell backwards from trying to run away.

"There`s gotta be a way to hit this guy in a way he can`t predict," I said aloud, but not loud enough for him to hear.

"You bastard!" Luffy said as he ran forwards and used his Gomu Gomu no Gattling technique on Satori. Satori dodged and Luffy`s attack sent Bikkuritama all over the place. While I was dodging, I remembered a few tricks that might help against Satori. I also realized I couldn`t keep copying techniques forever, and I needed a few new attacks of my own. I remembered that Ki, in its original concept, could control the elements. Water, earth, and fire were scarce right now, and the forest was a little too tangled to figure out which tree was which. So I had one option left, which may be very possible, due to what happened earlier with my sneeze. I stopped moving and began to satuate the air with my Ki. The wind began to shift around me, and held all the Bikkuritama which had not activated in place, not activating them luckily. "What`s going on?" Luffy asked.

"Why`d they stop moving?" Sanji asked as he looked around.

"What is he doing?" Satori asked. "Does he think he`s a god? He can`t control the elements."

"Here goes nothing," I said as the wind shifted again to spin around me. I formed a small tornado with the closest Bikkuritama spinning around me, while the rest just went on their own way. I got to the max speed I thought I could spin the wind, and shot the tornado at Satori. "GEIRU TATSUMAKI (Gale Tornado)!"

"He summoned a tornado!" Satori yelled as he ran to dodge the tornado. The tornado hit him and the Bikkuritama activated all at once in a giant chain reaction. A few exploded, some had harmless animals pop out, and others popped out elements like fire and water, or weapons like spears and swords. Unfortunately, most of the damaging orbs did not hit him. "Looks like I do have luck on my side," he said relieved and gaining his composure back. Usopp took the chance to try to get the ship back with a belt-mounted grappling hook. He almost made it, but he forgot to make a release device for the rope. After Sanji got the Usopp and Luffy together and beat them up for screwing around in a battle situation, Satori palmed him again. "One down, three to go."

A little later, Satori had made a dragon out of some of his Bikkuritama and a dragon mask. We were pretty beaten up from his weird palm slams. Somehow I was the only one left standing, barely. "You don`t have any more tricks do you?" he said mocking us. "Your boat is going to exit the forest soon. When that happens, you`re completely doomed! Unless you guys fly like birds, you will never leave this place!" I could, but the guys couldn`t, and I wasn`t about to leave them behind. Luffy got up as Satori said, "You will wander around this forest until you die! Hohohohohoho!"

"I won`t let that happen!" Luffy said as he shot another Gomu Gomu no Pistol at Satori. He dodged it and sent his Tama Dragon after Luffy. The Tama Dragon was made of a fire Bikkuritama, and ones that had bombs, gunpowder, and blades. If we hit the one with the explosives, it`d set off a chain reaction, much like the one I made earlier. Satori chased Luffy up a tree, and right onto the rope he was using to control the Tama Dragon. Luffy broke the rope and Satori stupidly pulled Luffy and the Dragon towards him, breaking his concentration. Now was my chance to nail him. I decided to try another wind-elemental attack, but a little different. I began to have the wind circle around my right forearm, forming a small tornado. The tama Dragon exploded sending bladed weapons everywhere, but I kept my focus while dodging. Man, was this technique taking a while. Luffy was on Satori`s back after the explosion, and surprised him.

Sanji was sitting on a Bikkuritama nearby, and started a monologue that suited him perfectly. "Don`t let go, Luffy! Don`t let that meatball move no matter what…"

"Ah, Sanji, you`re still alive!" Luffy said bluntly.

"No thanks to YOU!" Sanji yelled "Check the surroundings before you do stuff like that! Now then, Meatball Man, you kept talking about trials, but we are completely innocent. I don`t care that we have to go through this damn trial, because there are two helpless ladies awaiting my rescue. In other words, THIS IS A TRIAL OF LOVE!"

"Is this guy and IDIOT TOO!" Satori thought to himself as I walked up with a tornado surrounding my right fist.

"Oi, Sanji," I began calmly, with an almost evil gleam in my eye, "after you nail this guy, send him over to me. I wanna try something out."

"Sure," Sanji said with a similar gleam in his eye.

"DAMN YOU!" Satori said fearfully. "You`re really despicable! This is a three-on-one!"

"Despicale? You guys kidnapped our nakama…," I said slowly.

"…Made the cute angel cry," Sanji continued, "and then TRIED TO KILL HER! You`re in no place to call us cheap!"

"Yeah! That`s right!" Luffy interjected. "It`s really cool you can read our movements, BUT… if you can`t avoid it, there`s no point in mind reading!" Satori looked like he just crapped himself.

"Ah!... You IDIOTS!" Satori said begging for mercy. "STOP! IDIOTS! I am a priest of god! Let go of me! Hey, do you hear me! In this country, if you are not judged by a priest, you become a first-class criminal! Attacking me is the same as declaring WAR on the almighty Enel himself!"

"Shut your mouth or the flavor will escape," Sanji said calmly. "For example, if you want to cook using peppers, the most important thing to do is to brutally, swiftly, and completely dice the peppers! That way, the amazing flavor will be released swiftly into the powder!" Sanji began to spin rapidly in a vertical orientation.

"STOP, STOP, STOOOP!" Satori yelled in futile desperation. "The PAIN! It`ll hurt A LOT!"

"CONCASSER!" Sanji yelled as he bashed Satori on the head with his heel.

"I… I`ll… still… beat… you," Satori said weakly, missing a few teeth and bleeding from his nose.

"Luffy," Sanji said taking a drag on his cigarette, "I think you can let go now."

"Right," Luffy said he unwound.

"Oi, Kakusei," Sanji said winding his leg back, "you ordered the doggy bag, right?"

"Yeah," I said winding my fist back, "I did."

"Puh… please," Satori said sounding like he was ready to collapse, "duh… don`t."

"Order UP!" Sanji said shooting Satori right at me.

I wound up my punch as Satori flew right at me. As soon as he got in range, I nailed Satori right in the stomach with a right corkscrew punch. "GEIRU NO TASTUMAKI KEN! (Gale Tornado Fist)" The punch connected, with the wind surrounding my fist adding to the power of the corkscrew punch. The wind then spiraled even faster, spinning Satori right into a huge tree at high speeds, pinning him to it, while the wind almost flattened his body into a pancake. He was stuck to the tree for a few seconds before he fell to the ground, leaving an imprint of his body on the tree trunk.

"LUFFY! SANJI! KAKUSEI! I found the boat!" Usopp yelled to us. "HURRY! It`ll leave the forest soon! HURRY!"

"Hey, it`s Usopp," I said calmly pointing to him.

"He`s alright," Sanji said just as calmly. "I thought he was blown to bits because he disappeared after the explosion. Heh."

"Hey! He said something about the boat!" Luffy said in his normal excited tone of voice. "Let`s hurry and get there!"

"So he found it," I commented. Usopp caught up and grabbed onto the boat with his grappling belt, and then we grabbed into him so we wouldn`t lose the boat. Bad idea. We bounced around the trees like a ragdoll. "Usopp, if you ever try that again…" I said slowly, "I`ll use you as a punching bag."

"S`all good… s`all good," Usopp said as slowly as I did.

"You punk…" Sanji said slowly as well, "I`ll remember this."

"Next time…" Luffy said just as slowly, "I`ll just stretch my arm." We relaxed a bit and watched Luffy do some impressions of our friends.

"Oi, Kakusei," Sanji began to say, "how did you pull those tricks with the wind?"

"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing," Usopp interjected. "Are you a Devil Fruit user?"

"I don`t think so. He wouldn`t be able to swim is he was," Luffy said showing a momentary lapse of brilliance.

"I think Luffy`s right for once," I said a little surprised at what Luffy said. "Besides, I know for a fact I used my Ki to control the wind. Ki is actually a pretty versatile concept, and a great technique when trained. Still, I feel pretty wiped from that. I better not try anything like that for a while. I should still be able to use some pure Ki techniques though."

"You have got to teach us how to use Ki!" Luffy said almost yelling. "That would be so cool!"

"It would be helpful in battle," Sanji added. "Not a bad idea, Luffy."

"Why not," I said, "but after we kick this Enel guy`s ass. That way, we can have plenty of time to work on our ability to control our Ki."

"That`s fine," the others said in unison.

Then we came to a plain in the Milky Road with some skulls on some sticks. And then some warriors showed up who looked like a cross between angels, the Aztecs, and Native Americans. They were obviously using Dials for their equipment, and among them was the guy who tried to kill us when we first got here. He shot a cannonball at us, and Luffy sent it back with a Gomu Gomu no Fuusen. I heard one of the others call him Wiper, and he was warning us not to go on. "So you are the ones," he began, "the citizens of the Blue Sea who caused a racket in Skypiea. If you don`t want to die, go back to the Blue Sea. If you try to do anything weird on this island, I`ll treat you like Enel, and eliminate you too!"

"Bastard!" Luffy yelled at Wiper. "What`d you say! Come on and fight!"

"Stop! Don`t say anymore!" Usopp said almost whining.

"The raiders and God are enemies?" Sanji queried.

"Seems so," I replied.

"…That is, if you have the strength to escape from here," Wiper said before he and his comrades left.

"What`s their problem?" Luffy and I asked at the same time.

"…One thing is for sure," Sanji said, "They`re that god, Enel`s enemy, but are they our enemy too?"

"Damn it," Luffy said, "What`s this island`s problem?"

"Let`s just move on," Usopp said almost depressed or monotone.

"Agreed," I said, "we need to get back to the others. Anyway, Sanji, what was that about the 'Trial of Love'?" After Sanji blew up a little, the rest of our trip was pretty smooth, nothing happened after that meeting with Wiper and his comrades. After a little while, we got to an opening in the trees. "Hey, isn`t that the Merry?"

"It is!" Luffy said excitedly."Oi, guys!"

"That must be the altar," I said waving to our nakama.

"Nami-san! Robin-chan! I have finally passed the Trial of Love!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes. I almost wanted to hit him.

"That`s all the trial was?" I said surprised. "That was pretty easy."

"Were you scared?" Usopp said with a spirit of defiance and courage he only has when there is no danger. "Well, Captain Usopp is here. You can relax now!"

Well, the mast was gone due to Chopper`s fight, and after Usopp basically forgave him, he lit on fire through sheer determination, I think. Gan Fall was pretty beat up due to him protecting Chopper. We decided to wait until tomorrow to go back to Angel Island, so we set up camp on the island.


	8. Chapter 8

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 8: Campfire Songs and Speeches**

We had a meeting to discuss everything we had learned so far on Skypeia. So far, we learned that this island is actually half of Jaya, the same island that the Saruyama Alliance is looking for, and that at least one of the priests can use an ability called "mantra" which allows them to read our moves. So with the knowledge that there is gold up here, we decided to search for it tomorrow. We got some supplies together, and began to prepare dinner. With Nami`s mapmaking skills, we found out that Jaya originally looked like a skull, so with the info from Norland`s journal, we learned the location of the city of gold.

After dinner, Robin wanted to put out the fire so we wouldn`t give our position away, but Luffy and Usopp were convinced that the fire was a camping tradition. Sanji, Zoro, and I snuck out while the others were arguing to get some firewood, and we split up. As I was getting some, I saw a figure in a cloak a few meters away from me. It was dark and I could only see his silhouette.

"Who are you?" I asked. He said nothing, but pulled out a strange object from under his cloak. I couldn`t see what it was, but I tensed up in case it was a weapon. He just put it down on the ground and began to walk backwards. "Wait!" I said reaching forward. Then he just disappeared into the darkness. I walked over to where he was and took a look at what he put on the ground. It was a guitar, with a blue eshi (the kanji for artist) on it. There was also a note on it. I unfolded it, and the note said, "Hope you like the present. You should remember how to play this, right?" It wasn`t signed, which was weird. I guess that guy wanted to be anonymous. Then I remembered I can play the guitar, but I hadn`t learned until recently. Cool. Anyway, I made my way back to camp with my guitar and the firewood. I also thought about whether or not I should tell the others where I am really from.

When I got back, they had already started the fire, and Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and a pack of wolves were dancing around the biggest fire I had seen in person. "Oi, Kakusei," Luffy said loudly, "you`re late."

"Where`d you get the guitar?" Nami asked as everyone else noticed my presence.

"I`ll tell you guys later," I said calmly. "Right now, I want to say something."

"What is it?" Usopp asked as everyone but the wolves stopped dancing.

"I remembered where I am from," I said. I had just stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire. No turning back now.

"Really!" Luffy asked excitedly. "Where!"

"You`re probably not going to believe me when I say this," I started slowly, "But I am from another world."

"Prove it," Zoro said calmly. Everyone was looking at me in anticipation of my answer. I thought about it for a minute or two with a thoughtful look on my face, and I had my answer.

"When Nami first joined Arlong`s crew to buy back her hometown, she was tattooed with his symbol on her left shoulder," I said calmly. "After the townspeople in her hometown, Cocoyashi Village, decided to fight back against Arlong, Nami stabbed herself in the shoulder where the tattoo was while repeatedly cursing Arlong, and Luffy stopped her and gave her his hat to hold onto until after the battle. After Luffy broke Arlong`s headquarters in two, and beat him, she got a new tattoo she designed as a reminder of her home. It is a blue pinwheel with a mikan on the top spoke of the pinwheel." The looks on their faces was priceless.

"How… how did you know that?" Nami asked still having the shocked look on her face.

"In my world, many other worlds seem to be chronicled in many forms," I said calmly. "One of the ones I followed frequently was a world by the title of One Piece, this world. I still don`t know how I got here, how far in the story I was when I left, or why I can`t remember all of my past, but all I know is I`m here now."

"So you know everything about us up until this point?" Chopper said in awe.

"Yeah," I said. "Look, I wouldn`t blame you guys if you hated me for the rest of your lives, but…"

"That`s so COOL!" Luffy yelled cutting me off. "You`re from another world! What`s your world like?"

"Well, it`s…" I started.

"Is that how you learned about all those different weapons?" Usopp asked cutting me off.

"Yes, it…" I started again.

"What kinds of medicine are there?" Chopper asked also cutting me off.

"Guys, guys, one question at a time," I said trying to calm them down.

"He`s right," Robin said calmly. "If he doesn`t know how to get back to his world, he`ll be here for a long time, so he can answer all your questions."

"Thanks Robin," I said as I picked up the guitar. "You guys mind if I sing a song from my world?"

"So you ARE a musician!" Luffy said pointing at me.

"I only just remembered I can play," I said. "So may I?"

"Why not?" Sanji said.

"Go for it," Usopp added in.

"Sure," Zoro said calmly.

"LET`S HEAR SOME MUSIC!" Luffy yelled in response. Typical Luffy.

"This song is pretty close to my heart," I said as I tuned my guitar. "Even though I didn`t understand the lyrics at first, I still liked the music and came to know it by heart." And then I began to strum my guitar and sing.

_Arittakeno yume wo kakiatsume  
Sagashi mono sagashini yuku no sa ONE PIECE_

_Rashinban nante jyutai no moto  
Netsu ni ukasare kaji wo toru no sa_

_HOKORI ka butteta takara no chizu mo  
Tashikameta no nara densetsu jyanai!_

_Kojin teki na arashi wa dareka no  
BIORHYTHM nokkatte  
Omoi sugose ba ii_

_Arittakeno yume wo kakiatsume  
Sagashi mono sagashini yuku no sa  
POCKET no COIN, soreto  
YOU WANNA BE MY FRIEND?  
WE ARE, WE ARE ON THE CRUISE! WE ARE!_

_Zembu mani ukete shinji chattemo  
Katta wo osarete iippo LEAD sa_

_Kondo aetanara hanasu tsumorisa  
Sore kara no koto to kore kara no koto_

_Tsumari itsumo PINCH wa dareka ni  
APPEAL dekiru ii CHANCE  
Ji ishiki kajyoo ni!_

_Shimittareta yoru wo buttobase!  
Takara bako ni KYOUMI wa nai kedo  
POCKET ni ROMAN, soreto  
YOU WANNA BE MY FRIEND?  
WE ARE, WE ARE ON THE CRUISE! WE ARE!_

_Arittakeno yume o kakiatsume  
Sagashi mono sagashini yuku no sa  
POCKET no COIN, soreto  
YOU WANNA BE MY FRIEND?  
WE ARE, WE ARE ON THE CRUISE! WE ARE!_

_WE ARE!  
WE ARE!_

I finished and everyone clapped at my performance. "That song was lovely," Robin said. "What`s it called?"

"It`s called We Are," I said as I stood my guitar on its end. "It`s the first opening theme song to the One Piece anime."

"What`s an anime?" everyone but Robin asked simultaneously. So then I spent the next few minutes explaining anime, then television, and then electricity to my friends. After that chat ended, Nami spoke up.

"Kakusei, what did you mean by you didn` t understand the lyrics at first?" she asked.

"My first language was English," I said, "and I know a little Spanish, enough French to get by, and a few bits and pieces of other languages. I never officially learned Japanese to my current knowledge."

"But we`re speaking Japanese now," Usopp said. "How can you speak Japanese so fluently?"

"Maybe I picked it up before I got here," I replied. "Convenient, isn`t it?"

"It is," Sanji replied.

"What other songs from your world can you sing?" Luffy asked almost child-like. So I sang a few songs from my world, some in Japanese like Supernova by TETRA-FANG and CHANCE! by UVERworld, and some in English like Flag in the Ground by Sonata Arctica and Soul Man by the Blue Brothers. They loved them all, and I promised I`d answer all their questions in due time.

"Young man, those songs were beautiful," Gan Fall said showing us he was up as Luffy, Nami, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper started dancing again. "A young man from another world, and the cloud wolves have been tamed. This is truly a miraculous night."

"Thank you," I said politely.

"Haha… There is probably no one else who would dare to make so much noise in Enel`s home," Gan Fall said as he walked towards the fire.

"You`re awake," Robin said. "Are you allowed to be moving around?"

"Sorry to have caused you trouble…" Gan Fall said slowly. "I intended to be helpful, but…"

"What do you mean?" Zoro said. "You`ve helped enough. Thank you."

"There is some food left over," Robin said. "Want some?"

"Thank you," Gan Fall replied, "but I don`t really have an appetite."

Luffy and Chopper wanted him to dance, and Sanji asked if Conis was okay. Gan Fall explained that because the earth can create plants as the island cloud cannot, the earth, or as they call it "vearth", is sacred.

When things cooled down and everyone was asleep, I began to walk off a bit to think about what happened today, and to see the sky from a Sky Island. Usopp walked towards the ship, I guess to fix it up. I walked off and got a good spot in the trees with a great view of the sky. It was beautiful. I could see every star in the sky. I could see the North Star easily, and I found that the night sky looks exactly the same as back home. "So, is the night sky the same as back in your world?" said a voice behind me. I turned around and it was Sanji.

"Yeah, it is," I said. "All the constellations look the same."

"So why are you out?" Sanji asked me.

"I couldn`t sleep," I replied, "not that I could get to sleep easily before anyway. So why are you out?"

"I saw you get up," Sanji replied, "and I wanted to ask a few questions."

"Why didn`t you ask earlier?" I asked.

"Some of these are kind of personal," he replied.

"Alright, shoot," I said.

"So, there are girls that read manga, right?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah," I replied inquisitively.

"And they do read One Piece, right?" he asked slowly again.

"Yeah," I replied inquisitively again, although I could think of where this was going.

"So… do I have any cute fan girls?" he said very seriously. I knew it.

"I`m sure you do," I said, almost laughing. We went on and talked about the cuisine of my world and how it was similar and yet different from this world. I told him of all the culinary experiences I`ve had over my life, both tasting and cooking different foods. A bit later, his face became very serious.

"So Kakusei," he began, "what kind of value does love have in your world?" Wow, that was kinda heavy.

"From what I can remember," I began, "I know that my world is still struggling with what love is in popular culture. They focus on the glorification of the wrong aspects, the exciting stuff that doesn`t last long and always causes problems. I think true love is made of three parts: friendship, family, and lust."

"Friendship, family, and lust?" Sanji repeated curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well," I said, "let`s start with friendship. That`s what we have here. We all have at least a little like for each other, and we still put up with each other`s faults, like Luffy`s naivety. Without friendship, we have no base for any relationship."

"That`s true," Sanji said with a thoughtful look on his face. "We are all good friends here. So, what about family?"

"Family is that bond that cannot be replaced when you meet a certain person," I said. "We have that here too. We care about each other to the point where blood or not, we can be together for long periods of time. We`re also ready to protect each other and those bonds, no matter what the cost."

"That`s true too," Sanji said, still contemplating what I`d said. "And what about lust?"

"Lust is the one we most often confuse for love," I said calmly. "That is the biological emotion which drives us to find the person we think is the most beautiful, and bluntly speaking, make babies. That is what drives us to find that one special person and be with them forever. If we learn to control or curb this, it helps as a great guider when learning about a person."

"So we need all three of these to be truly in love?" Sanji asked.

"Well, not quite," I said. "That feeling of true love is made up of, well, parts of all three of these types of love. True love, I believe, is made up of the ability to get along from friendship, the bonds of family, and the attraction of lust. All of those combined make the indescribable and undeniable feeling of true love."

"Heh," Sanji said with a chuckle, "you sound like the ossan I used to live with."

"You mean Zeff?" I replied in an inquisitive tone.

"Yeah, that shitty old man," Sanji said with a smile on his face. "Kakusei, you are very wise for your years. I think I`ll really like having you on the crew."

"Thanks," I said with a big smirk on my face. "Anything else you want to say or ask?"

"Yeah," he said still smiling, "I think with your attitude, you`ll fit right into our crew. And one more question, do you remember ever truly being in love with any girl?"

Just then, an image of Robin flashed in my mind when she was smiling. Man, that smile could knock me for a loop. She was so different from any other girl I remember meeting. For some reason, I remember seeing her crying once in sadness, and I never wanted to see that from her ever again. Could I really be in love with her?

Sanji snapped me back into reality. "Oi, Kakusei, you still there? You got an answer to my question?"

"Yeah," I said, "truth is, I`m not too sure whether or not I have ever truly been in love, but I may be some day."

"Such a wise answer," Sanji said, almost laughing. "Come on, buddy, let`s go back and get some sleep." Just then we heard a scream yelling "GHOST!" "That sounded like Usopp," Sanji said calmly.

"He`s probably over-reacting to something he`s afraid of… again," I said with a chuckle in my voice.

"Yeah," Sanji said laughing. When we got back, we found Usopp passed out on his head from fear. We shrugged it off and decided to deal with it in the morning.


	9. Chapter 9

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 9: The Quest for El Dorado**

The next morning, Usopp kept going on and on about how he saw a ghost last night. Most of us just shrugged it off, but we did find it was strange that the Going Merry was fixed and returned to its original condition, or at least as close as possible.

Nami spoke up and said, "Hey, Kakusei, Robin told us how you confided in her about how you were from another world."

"She did!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, but she also told us why you didn`t want to tell us yet," Nami replied. "It makes sense. So when did you remember where you were from?"

"The first day I was awake," I replied, "before the party."

"Alright," Nami said with a smile on her face, "but now we need to talk about our game plan for finding the gold!" I swear I saw her eyes turn into Beri symbols.

So, one team was going to get the gold, while the other team was going to sail the ship out of the altar area and meet us at the gold`s location. Nami, Sanji, and Usopp would sail the boat, and Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, Robin, and I were the exploration team. As we left, of course both Luffy and Zoro were going the wrong way to the gold. Zoro was complaining how dull it was for him yesterday and how he didn` t get to see a priest. I told him that the priests were no picnic, but all he said was "Bring it on." And then we saw a giant snake with hair hanging down from the sides of its body. Nice. So Luffy ran from it, and Zoro tried to fight it. And while chasing Luffy, it bit a tree, and began dissolving it, so the snake was poisonous. It tried to bite Robin, but she swung away using her powers, creating a vine-like set of arms. Everyone went their own way to escape the snake, but it separated us. I could sense in general where the others were, but I couldn`t pinpoint where they were. I`m not trained enough in Ki, I guess.

Back at Enel`s residence, he was counting up the odds in the upcoming fight.

"We have 50 soldier`s, and 4 priests," he said nonchalantly. "So including me, we have 55 fighters… There are also 20 Shandian warriors, 5 people from the Blue Sea entering the forest, and 4 on the ship. No, wait, 3, the old man can`t fight anymore."

"4 priests, Enel-sama?" one of his attendants asked. "I thought that Satori-san was defeated."

"Yes, my dear," Enel said calmly, "but we have a new priest in his place now. So we have a total of 83 fighters! This will be an eliminative skirmish! YAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Three hours from now, how many fighters will remain? Anyone want to guess?"

"We`re playing a game?" another attendant asked.

"This is great!" Enel exclaimed. "Hey, you, take a guess!"

After a guess by a counselor of 50 fighters, Enel said that exactly six people would remain.

Back with me, however, I was walking in what I believed what was a southward direction when one of the bodies of Ki I was sensing on the island went out, or was at least so faint, I could not sense it. One fighter down. Then all of a sudden, this guy who looked like a child of man and a goat tried to palm me, so I roundhouse kicked him, spinning around in the process. Then more of these guys came after me, and some Shandians came after me as well. So I led them to each other and watched them fight. I`d rather not try to fight them all. I had a feeling I would need my strength. However, more came and I just kept beating them, one after the other. I kept feeling more and more bodies of Ki go out. I finally got a break and decided to keep moving. I was a bit concerned about Robin, but I shrugged it off remembering she could take care of herself.

A little later, I came upon some ruins that looked really old. I did some looking around, and sketched some pictures for Robin and the others to look at later (more Robin than the others). Then all of a sudden, this guy pops up out of nowhere. He was about a head taller than I was, and had scruffy black hair. He was wearing a skin-tight black t-shirt, a pair of dark green kung-fu pants kinda like mine, and he was wearing a pair of sandals and some goggles that made him look like an airplane pilot. He also had some weird finger tip-less gauntlets covered in several different Dials which made me a little nervous.

"No one passes to God`s domain unless I say so," he said while sitting cross-legged and holding one hand out, fingers spread.

"And who are you to say so?" I asked putting down my backpack and getting ready for a fight.

"I am Raikiri, the Sky Shinobi, and Enel-sama`s greater hunter," Raikiri replied very loudly. "I am one of the four remaining priests to Enel-sama."

"Four?" I thought in shock. "From what I remember, there should be three priests left after we kicked Satori`s ass. Where did this guy come from?"

"If you will not attack, I WILL!" Raikiri said lunging forward at me. All of a sudden, two of his Dials activated, creating two large, blade-like objects on his arms, and while he swung them at me and missed, I could swear I saw electricity crackling along them. Then he pulled out a small ball-and-chain weapon with a few dials on the rear of the ball and threw it at me. The dials created some clouds, leaving a trail as the ball`s chain wrapped around me. While holding the chain with one arm, Raikiri used his free hand to create another blade and simply touched the cloud path. I swear I felt like a thunderbolt hit me, and when the shock subsided, I almost lost my footing.

"How the hell did you do that?" I asked, panting hardly. "That`s just Iron Cloud, right?"

"Almost," Raikiri said slyly. "My blades are made from Iron Cloud, yes, but they also have Shock Dials inside them."

"Shock Dials!" I exclaimed. "What the hell are those?" I thought to myself. "I certainly don`t remember any Shock Dials in One Piece."

"Yes, Shock Dials," Raikiri said slowly walking towards me. "Shock Dials are a very rare type of Dial. No one is even sure where the Island they originate is in the White Sea. These Dials can store an electrical charge for a very long time, and release it all at once, or in short bursts. Enel-sama is kind enough to provide me with all the electricity I need, so I never run out, and I have a very large stored charge."

"Well, at least this will be a little easier than fighting Enel," I thought, remembering Enel`s Goro Goro no Mi, "at least I can hit this guy. But I need to keep my distance."

"Keeping your distance won`t help you," Raikiri said, pretty much revealing he could use Mantra. "I an Enel-sama`s greatest hunter, remember. I don`t have to be close to my prey to kill them." Then he tossed a bunch of Cloud Dials in different directions, creating paths to seemingly random areas. Then he jumped up and stabbed his blades into two of the clouds, and realizing what he was doing, I jumped into the air myself so I wouldn`t get shocked by standing on some of the connecting clouds. I shot a few Ki blasts into the air, but he dodged them easily. "Interesting attack, but if you can`t hit me, you`re just wasting energy. RAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Wait, I can use that old trick," I thought to myself, while jumping away from Raikiri`s attacks.

"What old trick?" he said as I charged forward.

He began to use Mantra to try to see what I was going to do, but all he heard was, "I`ll hit him with a right jab, but stop short of his face."

"What`s with this guy?" Raikiri thought as I still charged forward. "He`s moving forward but not even going to attack me?" I ran up and did exactly what I was thinking. I threw a right jab, but stopped short of his face. I may not have hit, but the wind from my speed caught up and nailed him for me. He flew a few feet back, and yelled, "What the hell just happened?"

"Someone never took a physics course, did they?" I said slyly and wagging my finger in the air.

"I don`t need to!" Raikiri yelled, as he shot his Icon Cloud blades forward at me, and instead of trying to cut me to ribbons, he formed them into oversized hands and grabbed me. Then he delivered another shock into my body, and I yelled at the top of my lungs in pain. "I`m sorry if you`re hurting, but when my prey likes to fight back, I like to torture it a little." Then he threw me towards the ground with enough force to send me through a layer of cloud. It still felt like I was thrown through a layer of earth or rock though. He followed me down, and I realized we were in a giant ancient city.

"I guess I found Shandia, the city of gold," I said wearily.

"But you won`t be around long enough to enjoy it!" Raikiri said as he lunged at me forming claws out of his Iron Cloud. I dodged the claw swipes, but then he formed fists and punched at me. I stopped the punches, but then a wave of pain shot through my body, and I jumped back. I took a look at my body and saw what looked like a slash mark across my arms and chest.

"Let me guess, an Axe Dial," I said letting my arms hang down.

"You guessed right," Raikiri said, retracting his Iron Cloud arms. "I can vary my Dials as I wish to create new effects against my prey."

"But what if you can`t keep up with your prey?" I said as I sprinted forward, with the wind surrounding my feet increasing my speed. I tried to throw a punch, but he created a wall to block it using the Iron Cloud. Then in a split second, a shockwave shot through my body racking me with pain, and Raikiri said, "Impact". "An Impact Dial too?" I said as I was left holding my chest in pain.

"Correct," he said slyly, "Just for the prey that can still manage a hit after all I`ve done to them."

"Shit, what am I supposed to do now?" I thought. "I can`t land one hit on this guy now. He`s been toying with me all along!"

"Kakusei!" Robin yelled in shock as she came upon my fight. "What are you doing here?"

"Currently getting his ass handed to him," Raikiri said as he walked up, and formed another Iron Cloud blade. "I always did enjoy being able to kill more prey at once."

"Robin, RUN!" I yelled still holding my arm. "Run away!"

"I won`t move," Robin said calmly. "I won`t let him harm these ruins."

"Then DIE!" Raikiri yelled as he charged at Robin.

With a burst of energy I didn`t know I had left in me, I ran in front of Robin, ready to intercept Raikiri. I caught the blades and, taking a huge electrical shock to my body, still stood standing holding the blades. "I… I won`t… let you… do that." I said, breathing heavily.

"How can you still stand?" Raikiri said in surprise. "You`re half dead as it is, and you want to protect this woman? You`re insane!"

"I… WON`T… LET… YOU… TOUCH HER!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, and power surged through my body. It was that feeling from before, but this time, I knew I had full control of it. Raikiri flew back about ten feet, and behind me, Robin just stood there in shock and awe.

"What… what was that, Kakusei?" Robin asked slowly.

"My newly acquired power," I said calmly, feeling like I had just recovered from my previous injuries.

"Wha… what… are you!" Raikiri asked, looking very fearful.

"I`m the guy who`s gonna kick your ass!" I said defiantly. I knew that this battle had taken a huge turn in my favor. And it was all because of my newly activated power, my Haki.


	10. Chapter 10

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 10: Win Some, Lose Some**

Raikiri charged at me with his blades out, ready to try to kill me. I didn`t want Robin to get hurt, and these closed ruins weren`t a great spot to fight in, and now was a good time as any to use one of my new tricks with Haki. I began saturating the air with Haki, similarly to how I would control the air, but I couldn`t for some reason, so I used my Haki to read Raikiri`s moves instead. He tried to slash in an X formation, but while dodging, I moved into his area of influence, so to speak, and delivered an upward kick right to his jaw, imbued with my Haki. I was a little surprised when Raikiri flew right through the cloud roof and out of the ruins.

"How… how did you do that?" Robin asked, looking confused.

"I`ll explain later," I said calmly, "but I promise I`ll be back." I gave her a quick smile and jumped up through the hole I just made using Raikiri`s head. "So you ready to give up yet?" I asked as I landed on the clouds, looking around for Raikiri.

Then he jumped up from the ground, and started to swing his claws at me. "NOT A CHANCE!" Even with that surprise, I still had a huge advantage with my Haki. I could tell where he was going to swing, and dodged easily.

"I need to knock him off his feet," I thought while dodging Raikiri`s slash attempts. "It`s time for another new trick. Not sure if I can do this yet, but it`s worth a shot." I mustered up as much Haki as I could, and unleashed it in a wave right at Rakiri. He never saw what hit him, literally and figuratively. He got pushed back about twenty feet, and lost his footing. For some reason, I couldn`t access my Ki, so I sent my Haki down to my legs, and shot off like a rocket towards Raikiri as he was regaining his balance.

"Nice try, but I have one more trick left up my sleeve," he said as I ran towards him. He brought his arms together, and combined his Iron Cloud blades. They formed a Chinese Dragon, and it opened its mouth. I could read his movements and knew what he was about to do. One Breath Dial filled with natural gas plus one Flame Dial equals one giant explosive flamethrower. "LET`S SEE IF YOU CAN TAKE THE HEAT!" he yelled as the flames spewed forth from the dragon`s mouth. I moved in a zigzag pattern, and while Raikiri tried to keep up, all he could do is follow my movements. "What`s going on? I can read his movements, but I can`t keep up with him. Where is this extra energy coming from?" I got closer, and he knew what was coming, so he threw up his Iron Cloud shield. "Let`s see you break through this!"

"You asked for it," I said, putting as much Haki as I could into my right fist and winding up for a punch. I threw my punch at the shield and yelled, "DENKITEKI KEN! (LEGENDARY FIST!)" The Iron Cloud shattered under my punch, and I nailed Raikiri right in the face, knocking him out cold. He dropped to the ground, and I was a little shocked at what just happened. My punch had gotten a little more powerful from using Haki, but it was more like the Iron Cloud weakened under the force of my Haki. Anyway, I decided to go over and see if I had accidentally killed Raikiri. He had a bag on him, and even though he wasn`t dead, I decided to loot his bag. The bastard had a bunch of Shock Dials and a few more of the other Dials he used in his bag. Well, since Enel was going to get kicked out of his godhood, I might as well help myself, since Enel`s top hunter won`t matter if Enel`s not in power. So I took the Dials and stuffed them in my pockets.

As I walked back towards where Robin was, I mused over what Haki was. It was like Ki, but very different from Ki as well. I couldn`t fire it off in blasts like Ki, or use it to fly or control the elements. It was almost like pure concussive force or psychic energy. I could use it to read the movements of my opponents, and to weaken the defenses of my opponents. Haki might also be able to be awakened, so I`ll have to try to teach the others to use Haki. I also remembered that Haki could be used to negate the powers of Devil Fruit, so now I could fight with Logia users on a more equal playing field. Cool. I wasn`t sure if I could use Haki for anything else, but I couldn` t seem to use Haki and Ki at the same time. "I`ll have to work on that," I said aloud as I neared the hole where I sent Raikiri through. Robin left from where she was, so I looked for her in the ruins. I found some train tracks, which looked quite new, and figuring Robin followed them, I did as well. I caught up to Robin, and she wasn`t alone.

"As you, and now your friend can see," the stranger began as he tossed an apple in his hand, "the city remains mostly intact after being blasted into the sky. This is Shandia! Though the legendary city was completely hidden by the cloud covering it, I was the one who discovered it. The others had no idea."

"And you are?" Robin asked.

"God," he replied.

My eyes grew wide immediately, and my anger grew similarly. "So you`re the tyrannical bastard who`s been causing chaos up here, Enel?"

"I`m surprised you know my name," Enel replied calmly. "I`m impressed with you, woman. Are you an archaeologist from the Blue Sea? It took us months to find the central ruin. Was the process simplified by your ability to read those tablets?" Both Robin and I were a little shocked. "Unfortunately, the gold you seek is gone. You are a few years too late," he said as he took a bite out of his apple.

"…The gold. Now that you mention it, I didn`t see it anywhere," Robin said calmly. "Did you take it?"

"Gold is great!" Enel said with a lot of enthusiasm. "Shiny material like that befits someone like me…"

"So did you take the golden bell also?" Robin asked.

"…Gold bell?" Enel said inquisitively.

"So he doesn`t know about it?" Robin said in her mind.

"Interesting! After reading those tablets, what did you find?" Enel asked very loudly.

"…No, I`m sorry," Robin replied quickly. "If it wasn`t here when you arrived, then the bell probably didn` t reach the sky. The Shandians were proud of the great Golden Bell and the tower it was in. I seek that bell tower."

"Wait. There was!" Enel said with a funny-looking thinking face. "Yes, it did get to the sky! 400 years ago, at the birth of this God`s island in the sky, there was a ringing sound of a bell heard throughout the country. The old men called it the 'song of the sky'. So it was caused by a golden bell? Fascinating! The game is almost over. There are eight minutes left, so I`ll just look around real quick! Yahahahahaha!"

"So the golden bell did reach the sky!" Robin said in her mind. "Then the ancient text must also…"

"Wait, what do you mean 'game'?" I said, yelling at Enel.

"It seems there is also a bug at the far end of the island," Enel said just as calm as ever. Then he shot a lightning blast up through the clouds above us.

"What was that!" Robin and I said at the same time.

"Yahahahahahaha!" I am summoning your friends to Shandia!" Enel said loudly as Zoro, Chopper, Wiper, and the snake from earlier fell down. "Yahahahahahaha! Let`s orchestrate the final orchestra together!"

"Another ruin?" Robin said looking at the rubble around us. "But why are there such big pieces of…" And then Zoro popped out from under one of the ruins. "Swordsman-san!"

"Zoro!" I said after Robin pointed him out. "Did you fall along with the rocks?"

"Damn rock! I almost DIED!" Zoro said as he threw the rock that was on him.

"A… a normal person would have died," Robin said a little shocked.

"Well, we aren`t very normal, remember?" I said acting smart.

"Oh, Robin, Kakusei, it`s you!" Zoro said now noticing our presence. "Where am I?"

"This is the golden city we were searching for," I said calmly.

"However," Robin said slowly, "there is no gold." Then the snake was acting weird, but happy, and Enel blasted it, calling the snake annoying.

"Nami!" Zoro yelled.

"Eh!" Nami exclaimed. "Zoro, Robin, Kakusei!"

"Why are you over here!" Zoro asked angrily. "When did you get out?"

"Why is Navigator-san here?" Robin asked calmly.

"You alright?" I asked.

"Never mind that," Nami said looking worried. "I`m okay but, Luffy is… still in there!" Nami slapped her face with her palm.

"HUH! WHY IS HE IN THERE!" both Zoro and I asked at the same time.

"How the heck did he get in there!" Zoro asked.

"I DON`T KNOW!" Nami yelled. "HE WAS IN THERE BEFORE ME!"

Then Wiper fired his Bazooka at Enel, and, after dodging his attack, Enel just said that the game is not yet over. "GAME!" both Wiper and I said at the same time.

"That`s right," Enel said slowly. "You and all the other contestants are part of my little game. The goal of the game is simple. Three hours after the Shandians entered the island, how many people among the 83 contestants will survive? It`s a survival game! Of course, I am also a contestant. I even allowed some people to join in after the game started. My prediction is that there would be six survivors." At that point, I realized Nami was hiding so she would not be seen, and that six people were visible. "In three minutes, the three hour time limit will be over. Thus, it is problematic that there are still seven survivors." So he did see or sense Nami. "God`s prediction can never be wrong! So who here will be eliminated? Will you do it yourselves, or should I?" Immediately, everybody but Nami (she was still hiding in fear) decided that Enel would be eliminated. "Impudence! Yahahahahahaha! You`re gonna eliminate me! I wouldn`t expect less from the survivors of the game. However, do you know who you are talking to?"

"I do," I said speaking up. "Robin, Gan Fall, Zoro, stand back, right now only Wiper and I have a chance at beating Enel."

"Young man," Gan Fall, "I understand your enthusiasm, but…"

"All right then," Zoro said as he grabbed Gan Fall`s shoulder. "We`ll leave you to it then."

"Good luck Kakusei," Robin said as she, Gan Fall and Zoro backed up.

"Boy, it seems you don`t understand what a god is!" Enel said laughing.

"No, I understand what a god is," I said calmly, "and I know, that you`re no god."

"The old man fighting for the prosperity of Skypiea, a warrior fighting to return to his homeland, and Blue Sea pirates trying to steal gold," Enel said acting as if I hadn`t said anything. "This world is so full of troubled lambs. Even this country itself has greatly sinned."

"Instead of talking nonsense, why don`t you tell me what you seek to accomplish here and WHERE ARE THE MILITIA MEMBERS BEING HELD CAPTIVE!" Gan Fall yelled at Enel.

"I simply seek to return Gan Fall!" Enel said defiantly.

"Return!" Gan Fall said shocked.

"Yes, to a place I should have been," Enel said calmly. "On the sky island I was born, where people say god lives. Endless earth, and there… there is a limitless amount of earth! That is the ideal world I seek! That is what I deserve to have!" What a superiority complex. "This God`s island, this puny piece of earth is nothing, yet you`ve fought for centuries to control it! Do you understand! The reason you fight is actually… more philosophical. Think about it… not a cloud, but born of the sky; not a bird, but lives in the sky… This country in the sky defies all laws of nature! Earth, men, and god all have a place where they belong! "

"You can`t!" Gan Fall yelled. I got a bad feeling from that.

"What do you mean 'You can`t!' I am doing what a god should do," Enel said. "I am sending you all where you belong… under the sky!"

"You want to destroy this country!" Gan Fall exclaimed. There it is that bad thing that was bound to happen.

"It`s the law of nature," Enel said still calm.

"Don`t think so highly of yourself, Enel!" Gan Fall exclaimed, yet again. "'God' is nothing but a title we give to the leader of our country!"

"That was before I became god," Enel said, still calm. Okay, his attitude is really beginning to tick me off.

"THE PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD DON`T NEED A GOD!" Gan Fall yelled in one final burst. Turns out Enel had killed off all the militia after their job was done. Then in anger, Gan Fall charged Enel, and Enel charged up a shock for Gan Fall.

"Thirty Million Volt Vari!" Enel sent a bolt of electricity through Gan Fall, knocking him out cold, if not killing him. "Gan Fall, in this world, there is a god! Me!"

"That`s why I didn`t want you guys to rush in like that," I said slowly as the others readied themselves for a fight. "He`s eaten the Goro Goro no Mi, a Logia Fruit. He controls and can become lightning."

"How can we beat him?" Nami asked fearfully. "It`s impossible."

"Right now, only Wiper and I can hit him," I said.

"Perfect, now is the predicted time," Enel said slowly. "There are exactly six survivors. Yahahahahaha! Good job surviving so far! Now I shall travel to the endless earth! And you six shall come with me!"

"What did he say?" I inquired.

"Once there, I will create a new god`s land," Enel stated. "Only those chosen by me may live there!"

"What is he thinking!" Nami said still in fear.

"Since they weren`t able to survive such a short game," Enel began, "my previous followers are unfit to live in that country!"

"And if we refuse?" Robin and I said at the same time.

"Refuse?" Enel said. "Why? I`ve already decided. If you stay here, you will fall into the abyss with this country."

"True… with your power, it is possible," Robin said calmly. "However, if you destroy this country, that thing you want will fall also. No?"

"You mean the gold bell?" Enel said still calm. "Yahahahahaha! Don`t worry. Judging from your earlier adventures, I can think of only one place where the bell would be…" That threw us for a loop. "Looks like you`re thinking what I`m thinking. You seem surprised."

"Oh, I am not going to let him do that," I said in my mind, my Haki still exuding from my body.

"Did you think you could trick me and find it yourself?" Enel said still calm. "You underestimate me. How shallow." I was almost ready to move. "I don`t like shallow women." Enel shot off a bolt of lightning from his finger, and it was aimed at Robin. However, thanks to my Haki, I foresaw this attack and jumped in front of Robin, deflecting the lightning with my Haki-lined hands.

"You can deflect lightning?" Enel said, a little shocked at my abilities.

"I`m not about to let you hurt my nakama," I said glaring at Enel. "Wiper, that right hand of yours is the only thing besides me right now that can touch Enel. If I fall, it`s up to you."

"R… right," Wiper said slowly, still shocked that I could deflect a lightning bolt.

"So you are the wind-wielder who defeated Raikiri," Enel said with a grin on his face. "A warrior such as you who defies me must be put in his place."

"My place is right here with my friends," I said taking my fighting stance. "Guys, back up as far as you can." I rushed towards Enel, already charging my Haki. He shot a few bolts at me, and I deflected them, away from me and my friends, while still moving forward.

"He plans on punching me," Enel said in his mind. "How foolish. He even knows of my powers and still he moves forward." I released a wave of Haki, and charged up my punch. "Wha… what`s this feeling? I… I can`t move…"

"DENKITEKI KEN!" I yelled as I swung my Haki-charged fist at Enel, and nailed him right in the stomach, sending him flying backward in pain.

"How… how did you hit me?" Enel stuttered, almost in fear. "I… I am god, and you are just a lowly human."

"Even a normal human can change the course of history," I said as I charged up another Haki burst.

"He… he really can touch Enel," Wiper said, "and he didn`t die!"

"How did Kakusei do that?" Nami said in her mind. "Was he always this strong?"

"If this guy`s training us," Zoro said in his mind, "our crew will be unstoppable. I will be the world`s greatest swordsman."

"That power again," Robin said in her mind, "whatever that power is, it is truly amazing."

"This boy is no ordinary human," Enel said in his mind. "I must change my tactics." I charged forward again, and Enel shot off another bolt of lightning. I was about to deflect it, when the bolt moved around my hand, and headed straight towards… ROBIN!

"Dammit!" I said turning around and increased my speed. I finally got in front of Robin, but I didn`t have enough time to deflect the bolt. That bolt was worse than any shock that Raikiri gave me, and worse, Enel made it go through me and hit Robin just to be cruel. She collapsed first, but with my remaining strength, I caught her unconscious body. Then my body started to give out, and I fell. Luckily, Zoro caught me. "Thanks… Zoro," I said wearily. "Get Nami and Gan Fall… out of here if… if you can. Wiper, it`s… it`s up… to you."

"I`ll try not to let your effort be in vain," Wiper said slowly. Then Zoro put Robin and me down on the ground. I had just enough strength to crawl over where Robin was laying.

"Robin," I said weakly, "I`m… I`m sorry… I couldn`t… protect… you from… Enel." I wasn`t sure if she could hear me, but I said it anyway. I tried to grab her hand, but my body gave out and I collapsed.

"She`s a woman," Zoro said glaring at Enel.

"Yes, I can see that," Enel said as nonchalantly as ever. Zoro tried to swing at him, but Enel dodged it, as well as Wiper`s Burn Bazooka. "You still don`t get it? The pathetic trickle of power, that is all you people can wield against me."

Nami was shocked at how strong Enel is. "Creating lightning, speeding up the air with sonic speed, and that strong flash! Such unbelievable power from a man who can control lightning."

"Tsk tsk tsk," Enel said disappointedly. "I was simply coming to invite you to endless earth. Why did you suddenly start attacking me?"

"Who were you trying to invite?" Zoro asked seriously. "Because I have no interest in that world of yours!"

"No, Zoro," Nami yelled, "you can`t beat him!"

"Oh, it seems you need a lesson on what a god is," Enel said calmly.

"But you aren`t a god!" Zoro said as he swung at Enel, but his swords passed right through him as he turned to lightning.

"No matter how hard you try, you can`t win," Enel said as he reformed. "I will use my overwhelming strength and teach you what 'hopelessness' feels like." Then Enel grabbed the two swords in Zoro`s hands. "Losing hope and dying are two strangely similar things…" Then Enel shocked Zoro through his swords, and Zoro yelled in pain.

"Zoro!" Nami yelled.

"For mortal men," Enel said looming over Zoro, "death is the most terrifying thing! That`s why men kneel with their heads to the ground and beg for mercy! It can`t be helped. Men beg when terrified, it`s in their nature."

"How can he be so strong?" Zoro asked in his mind as Enel`s foot rested on his head.

Then Wiper dropped his Burn Bazooka, jumped on Enel and locked his feet. "What are you doing?" Enel asked. "Committing suicide? Wait, why can`t I…"

"Do you know what seastone is, Enel?" Wiper asked seriously. "I added some to my skates, and it`s draining your Devil Fruit powers."

"My strength is being… drained," Enel said weakly as Zoro got up.

"Eat this!" Wiper said determined.

"No! You`re trying to use 'Reject'?" Enel said still somewhat calm. "Your body can`t take it. Don`t you want to live and own land?"

"Shut up!" Wiper yelled at Enel. "I JUST WANNA DIE AND TAKE _YOU WITH ME!_"

"Don`t do it!" Enel yelled in desperation.

"REJECT!" Wiper yelled as the Reject Dial strapped to his right arm went off. That Reject Dial was like an Impact Dial, but would amplify the concussive force ten times over. Enough to kill the person it was used against, and the person using it. And Wiper had used it once already today!

"Wiper!" I yelled while still on the ground. He stood up while Enel just lay on the ground, dead.

"Can it be?" Nami asked out loud. "Did he beat him! Oh, Robin, Kakusei, strange knight…" Then a burst of lightning shot out from Enel`s chest. He had used his powers to restart his heart!

"Mere men cannot make god feel fear," Enel said wiping the blood from his mouth. "For true terror comes from God, and God alone! What have I been saying? Just give up." Just then Wiper collapsed. "Oh, look, you look awful, o Wiper the warrior."

"My name is," Wiper began breathing heavily, "NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN SO CAUSALLY USE! For I am the descendant of the great warriors who fought to the death for their home 800 years ago, the warriors of Shandia! Since that day, following the dying wish of the great warrior, Calgara, for 400 years we have been searching for this place. NOW, I`M FINALLY HERE! OUT OF MY WAY, DEMON!" Then Enel used his staff to break Wiper`s skates.

"The same trick won`t work twice Wiper," Enel said calm again. "The seastone won`t help you again. To fire a shot of a mortal man`s suicide attack, and still be able to stand up is rather impressive," Then Enel beat one of the drums attached to the giant ring piercing his back, "but you`re still not match for me. Thirty Million Volt Hino!" Then a bird made of lightning came out and shot at Wiper, and ran through him, electrocuting him. Zoro ran forward and grabbed the seastone skate that Enel broke and headed for Enel. "Oh, you want one too, swordsman of the Blue Seas?"

"Why not!" Zoro yelled. "Give me your best shot!"

"Kiten," Enel said as he beat another of his drums, creating a giant tiger made of lightning and sending it at Zoro. Zoro got electrocuted and dropped to the ground. Enel then walked over to me and stood near my head. "I`m surprised you`re still conscious. I`ll give you one more chance to join me in the endless earth."

"You can just fuck off," I said looking angrily up at Enel. In response to my answer, he sent a bolt of lightning from his foot to my head, knocking me out. A little later, something grabbed me and woke me up. It was Luffy, trying to find out what happened. "Luffy… Enel did… this."

"Who?" Luffy asked very loudly.

"He`s… the god here," I said still weak. "He… shocked us all… and I`m guessing… he took Nami… too. Luffy, I`m… I`m sorry. I had the… power to beat him… but I couldn`t." Then I slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Kakusei, where`d they go?" Luffy asked shaking Kakusei`s unconscious body. Then Robin stirred. "Eh, Robin!"

"Luffy, he did take Navigator-san," Robin said half-conscious.

"H-hey, stay awake," Luffy said holding onto Robin. "He took Nami away? Where to?"

"No… no idea," Robin said still weak. "Listen, the island… and this country… all of Skypiea… will be destroyed."

"You mean the sky island!" Luffy said, now worried.

"And my village, too?" Asia said, also worried.

"Everything will… everything here will fall to the ground," Robin said weakly.

"So Enel will go to where the Golden Bell is?" Luffy asked after Robin explained what happened.

"Yes… I`m sure of it…" Robin said weaker than before. "…He will come back for i…" Then Robin passed out. Aisa could tell where Nami and Enel were with her Mantra, and she and Luffy went off in that direction. Robin woke up and leaned up against the ruins, trying to recover from the attack. "How can we get out of here now?" she thought to herself. "I knew that plan wouldn`t work." She looked around at Zoro, Chopper, Gan Fall, and Wiper, and then to Kakusei next to her. "Kakusei, you got hurt trying to protect me. But how did you know about Enel`s powers? If only I could see what you`re thinking."

"Would you like to?" said a new voice. Robin turned her head and saw a man wearing a solid steel wolf mask and a cloak covering every other part of his body.

"Who are you?" Robin said defensively. "If he attacks me, I can`t defend myself," she thought to herself.

"My name is unimportant, but you may call me Tetsuga for now," he said as he moved closer. "Don`t worry, I won`t hurt you. I have no reason to. Do you still want to see what Kakusei is thinking?"

"You can do that?" Robin said inquisitively.

"Yes, I can," Tetsuga said. "Just place your hand on my shoulder, and I`ll do the rest." Robin placed her hand on Tetsuga`s shoulder, and Tetsuga placed two fingers on Kakusei`s head. Robin saw a flash of light, and then saw nothing but white surrounding her and Tetsuga next to her.

"Where are we?" Robin asked looking around.

"The one place no normal human can reach on his or her own," Tetsuga said slowly. "Right now, we are in Kakusei`s mind."


	11. Chapter 11

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 11: Like an Open Book**

Last time on Brand New World:

"Where are we?" Robin asked looking around.

"The one place no normal human can reach on his or her own," Tetsuga said slowly. "Right now, we are in Kakusei`s mind."

"We`re in Kakusei`s mind!" Robin said in disbelief. "How is this possible?"

"You wanted to see what he was thinking, and I simply provided the means," Tetsuga said calmly.

"But there`s nothing here," Robin said regaining her composure.

"Ah, but there is," Tetsuga said raising his left arm, and several oak bookcases rose out of the ground.

"What are these?" Robin asked calmly.

"These bookcases represent Kakusei`s mind," Tetsuga said just as calmly. "The books are all the memories he has, and the information they hold is printed on the pages." Each bookcase had a gold plaque on the shelf somewhere, each having a title on it which designated what the books in the bookcase held. Robin looked one of the bookcases which had the title "My Family" which had a tinted black glass door on the front of it and a gold padlock keeping the door shut.

"There`s no keyhole on this lock," Robin said, "so how does it open?"

"This lock will only come undone when the time is right for Kakusei to remember this set of memories," Tetsuga explained calmly. Robin walked through the bookcases and observed the titles on the bookcases. Some of the titles that interested her were "World History", "World Culture", and "Educational Knowledge". Then the bookcases seemed to part and she saw the largest bookcases out of all of them, with a giant plague above them with the title "Manga Stories". And among them was one that was bigger than any other, titled "One Piece". It was easily taller than the other bookcases, and seemed as wide as three of four of the bookcases. There were several locks on the bookcase, and some had already been taken off. Just then, one of the locks began to glow. "Looks like he`ll be regaining some memories quite soon."

Then the locks began to shine and fade away from the doors, which opened and fell off. The books behind the door flew off the shelves, and hovering in midair, opened and the pages flew off away from the bookcase. "Where are those pages going?" Robin asked Testuga.

"To their owner," Tetsuga said calmly. "Kakusei is retrieving his memories." Robin then ran after the pages that had already flew past her, and after running for what seemed like a few minutes, she found Kakusei with his body suspended in the air as if he were on a cross. The pages were circling around him like electrons around an atom`s nucleus. Robin saw another set of pages fly by her, and he was a little shocked at what she saw. "Yes, that was the fight you were just in," Tetsuga said walking up to her. "The only difference is Kakusei isn`t there with you to slightly delay your getting hit with Enel`s attack. This is how Kakusei saw it for the first time, as a manga chapter." More pages flew by them and Robin could not recognize them.

"Was that… the future?" Robin said a little uneasy at what she saw.

"Yes, it is," Tetsuga said still calm. "Luffy will begin to fight Enel on his flying ship, Maxim, and have his arm trapped in a giant ball of gold, resulting him being sent back to the ground when Enel kicks him off the ship. Then Usopp and Sanji will go after Nami."

"So why is Kakusei remembering this now?" Robin asked. "This hasn`t happened yet."

"We`ve actually been in Kakusei`s mind for a while now," Tetsuga said smiling. "This actually has happened while we`ve been exploring Kakusei`s mind. His memories return based on when he needs them to. Unfortunately, our time here must end."

"What do you mean 'end'?" Robin asked looking surprised.

"Kakusei is waking up, and for now, he must not know I exist," Tetsuga said as their surroundings began to fade and warp. "So I must take my leave after we exit his mind. It was nice meeting you."

"Wait," Robin said, "I have to ask…" Robin opened her eyes. She was above Kakusei and Tetsuga was nowhere to be found. Then she saw the Maxim rising from the ground. "So that is the Maxim."

"Man, l needed that nap," Kakusei said as he woke up.

"Kakusei, you`re alright," Robin said regaining her composure.

"We need to get the others out of here and up that bean stalk," Kakusei said standing up and acting much more seriously.

"Of course," Robin said looking at Kakusei. "I`m guessing you saw our future."

"Yep," Kakusei said calmly. "I`ll carry Gan Fall and Wiper, and can you take care of Zoro and Chopper?"

"Of course," Robin said using her powers to create feet under Zoro and Chopper. "Are you sure you can handle your load?"

"Of course," Kakusei said smiling. "For some reason, I`ve always had a high tolerance to pain." He grabbed Gan Fall and Wiper and slung them over his shoulders, sending a wave of pain through his body. "Yeah, I can handle this," he said walking off towards the beanstalk following Robin, Zoro, and Chopper.

**-x-**

This chapter is short because I thought that this would be a good place to cut it off, and I want to ask a few things.

Do you guys want me to start telling the whole story, or do you just want to keep things from Kakusei`s perspective?

Also, do you guys want to see the anime filler arcs or not?

Please respond by review if possible.


	12. Chapter 12

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 12: The Sound of Victory**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, I'm writing this story for my own amusement.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

**Catching our Breath**

**-X-**

Kakusei and Robin brought Zoro, Chopper, Gan Fall, and Wiper to the cloud where the beanstalk rose up. "So the Maxim is headed for the Golden Bell after all," Robin thought aloud.

"Seems that way," Kakusei said as he set down Gan Fall and Wiper.

"Do you think Navigator-san will be alright?" Robin asked looking at Kakusei.

"Yeah, she`ll be fine," Kakusei said smiling towards the Maxim. "Usopp and Sanji will do well to protect her."

"Robin, Kakusei!" A voice yelled towards them as Aisa and Pierre flew at them. Robin created arms to catch them and Kakusei created a wall of wind in front of Robin`s arms to slow down Aisa and Pierre even more. "Thanks!"

"Luffy…" Robin and I said at the same time.

"Gah! Your arms!" Aisa exclaimed, "And you made wind!"

"And there`s the ball of gold," Kakusei said putting his hands behind his head.

"It looks heavy," Robin commented.

"Does this vine lead to the golden bell?" Luffy asked. "Enel is going to be there, right?"

"Yeah, he`s heading that way," Kakusei said calmly.

"You`d better hurry before he leaves," Robin said just as calm.

"Got it!" Luffy said as he climbed up the beanstalk.

"Excuse me," Robin asked Aisa, "Where is Navigator-san? She`s the girl with orange hair."

"You mean Nami?" Aisa replied. "She`s still on the ship, but I can`t hear her voice."

"Kakusei, Robin, you`re here!" Nami said as she and Usopp pulled up in her Waver. "Aisa! You`re alright!"

"Navigator-san and Naga hana-kun!" Robin said a little surprised they were down here.

"Nami!" Aisa said as she hugged Nami.

"Aisa, where`s Luffy?" Nami asked.

"Oh!" Usopp exclaimed. "Zoro! Chopper! Ossan! And the raider too! Damn, is everyone down…?"

"I`m still up," Kakusei said holding two fingers and his thumb outstretched.

"Luffy went up the vine to rescue you!" Aisa said worriedly still hugging Nami.

"You mean where Enel is?" Nami said shocked.

"Unfortunately," Kakusei replied.

"It`s a little late to try to stop him," Robin commented.

"We`re running out of time!" Usopp said worriedly. "We have to leave quickly!"

"How about this," Nami said as she looked at the beanstalk, "I catch up to Luffy with the Waver, and you all go back to the ship!"

**-X-**

Meanwhile, Luffy was bounding up the beanstalk.

"Enel, I`m coming for you," he said determined. "You won`t get away!"

**-X-**

"Captain, we ran out of ships for the evacuation!" One of the white berets said while they were evacuating Angel Island.

"Damn it!" The captain said. "Go to the Milky Way and get those Dial Boats! How many are left!"

"Less than half sir!" Another white beret responded.

"I don`t care how! Just get everyone out of here!" The captain said quickly.

**-X-**

"Haah… So it`s finally working again," Enel said as he looked at the clouds coming from the Maxim.

**-X-**

"Hurry! The sky is getting darker!" A Shandian villager said as they evacuated to the boats.

"Chief, Aisa is still…" Another villager said.

"And all the warriors are still out there," the Chief said looking at the land.

**-X-**

"The wind stopped," Conis thought aloud while on the Going Merry. "Everything just stopped!"

**-X-**

Lightning much more powerful than Enel could make began to strike from the sky, destroying anything it touched. "Now the party has officially started!" Enel said confidently. "Mamaragan!"

**-X-**

**Impending Doom**

**-X-**

"Get out of here! Hurry!" A Skypiean said as Angel Island was devastated by lightning strikes.

"This place is covered with thunder strikes!" Another Skypiean said with a look of shock on his face.

"We`re almost there!" A Skypiean woman said as she neared the docks.

"Get on the ships and sail to the west!" A white beret said scared. "To the west!"

"Hurry! Abandon all unnecessary possessions!" The captain said also scared.

**-X-**

"Damn him!" Luffy said as he ran up the beanstalk. "I have to… get up there…! ENEL!"

**-X-**

"Chief hurry!" A Shandian said to the Chief as he started at a statue of a Shandian warrior.

"Great Calgara," The chief thought to himself, "we will never give up."

**-X-**

A lightning bolt struck a few meters away from where the Strawhat Pirates stood.

"Woah! That lightning strike was waaaaaay to close!" Usopp said with a shocked expression on his face.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Kakusei said slapping his face with his hand.

"You called me captain," Usopp said with a proud gleam in his eye.

"I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!" Kakusei yelled at Usopp while baring his fangs.

"Everyone go back to the ship!" Nami yelled as she revved up the Waver. "I`ll go catch up to Luffy!"

"Got it!" Usopp said as Nami left.

"Even if Luffy climbs all the way to the top, the enemy is still floating too high in the air," Nami thought to herself. "Plus this country will be eradicated soon, then how will we escape?"

**-X-**

"Hurry, Robin, Kakusei," Usopp said as he began to pick up Zoro, "we have to get these…" Then Wiper stood up, still blackened from Enel`s attack.

"Wiper…" Aisa said looking at him.

Then Zoro and Gan Fall began to stir. "Swordsman-san!" Robin said as she picked his head up.

"Gan Fall!" Kakusei said. "Are you guys alright?"

"Enel…" Gan Fall said slowly.

"Great! You`re all awake!" Usopp said quickly. "We need to get out of here NOW!"

"Has… has it started?" Gan Fall said weakly.

"Hang on tight," Robin said. "We can`t stay here any longer."

**-X-**

"Yahahahahaha!" Enel said as he overlooked the destruction of Skypiea. "What a beautiful sight!"

**-X-**

**Kakusei`s Vague Memories**

**-X-**

Wiper was lost in his own memories while watching the storm destroy his ancestral home. "We swear to the great Calgara! We will re-ignite the light of Shandia!"

Wiper began to think back to his childhood. "Wiper, your ancestor, Calgara the great warrior, had one reason he had to retake our home," the chief told a younger Wiper.

"Only one reason?" Wiper asked the chief.

"Yes! It`s what Calgara regretted the most!" the chief said. "Calgara had a great friend."

"Calgara`s friend?" Wiper repeated.

"Yes," the chief replied, "400 years ago… His name was… Monblanc… Monblanc Norland!"

Kakusei put his hand on Wiper`s shoulder, snapping him out of his trance. "You`re thinking of Calgara and Monblanc Norland, aren`t you?" he said with a small smile on his face.

"How… how do you know of…?" Wiper began to ask.

"I`ll explain after Luffy kicks Enel`s ass," Kakusei said calmly and still smiling. "Enel has no right to destroy all this as if he were a god."

"Shit, shit, SHIT!" Usopp yelled in fear. "This madness will not end! Let`s just get out of here!"

"No," Kakusei said becoming much more serious, "We can`t leave yet. We still have a part to play here, I can feel it."

**-X-**

"Yahahahaha! This sky is God`s territory!" Enel said laughing. "Neither man nor earth should exist here! They all belong on the ground! Go back to the Blue Seas! Yahahahahaha! Witness the power of GOD!" He looked off into the clouds. "So, is that where the Shandians have been hiding? Since your ancestors are from the Blue Seas, go back to where you came from! You are dismissed!" A lightning bolt then struck the hidden village where the Shandians had been; destroying it completely, save for the statue of Calgara.

**-X-**

"Our village…" a Shandian said in awe. "That was too close. Any slower and we would have been…"

**-X-**

"Set sail!" the captain of the white berets said. "Hurry up! Angel Island won`t hold up much longer! Go out to sea immediately! GO!" A large amount of lightning bolts struck Angel Island destroying it.

"Captain! A lot of people are injured!" a white beret told the captain.

"Take them to the ships!" the captain responded. "There is nowhere on the island that is safe anymore! If we hadn`t listened to that girl," he began to think, "Just thinking about it gives me goose bumps."

**-X-**

Conis was thinking of all she had done to her friends, and wished that her father was still okay.

**-X-**

"Yahahahaha!" Enel roared. "The angels are all scurrying around like ants on a hot pan! Be gone Skypeia! Yahahahaha… This God`s shrine no longer serves a purpose. So down to the Shandia Ruins you go!" Enel struck the building sending it to the ground. "The only thing I desire now is the golden bell!"

**-X-**

"By the way," Wiper said turning his attention to Robin, "did you say something about a golden bell?"

"Ah, yes," Robin said.

"The bell is Enel`s next destination," Wiper said, "Do you know where it is?"

"HEY! HEY! Why are we talking about the bell? Shouldn`t we be running away?" Usopp said still scared.

"It`s up the beanstalk," Robin said calmly pointing at the beanstalk. "Somewhere near the top, I think."

"Let`s follow Nami`s plan and go back to the ship!" Usopp yelled still afraid. "Just leave everything to Luffy!"

"The giant stalk penetrated the land through the center of Shandia," Robin said to Wiper. "If I remember correctly the bell was located at the center of the city, so theoretically the bell should be somewhere further up the stalk."

**-X-**

"Why do I hear two voices approaching me?" Enel asked aloud while on the Maxim.

**-X-**

"Well, he sure is running fast!" Nami said as she drove up the beanstalk.

"I hope Nami is okay up there," Luffy said a little further up the beanstalk. "Enel, I`ll never let you get away with the bell!"

**-X-**

"Finally, I`m on top of the beanstalk," Enel said as he looked down from the Maxim. "I`m probably the first person to ever get up all the way here. Now where is that golden bell?" He looked down to see Luffy making his way up the beanstalk.

Luffy jumped on the cloud below the top of the beanstalk. "Am I on top yet?" he asked as he looked around. All he saw was the ruins of God`s Shrine, although he didn` t know that`s what it was.

"So we meet again," Enel said to Luffy. "I`m surprised you dragged that thing all the way up here."

"I`ve found you!" Luffy said as he looked up at Enel. "Stop running away and fight me, Enel!"

"Be gone," Enel said as he struck the bean stalk below where Luffy was climbing up, causing Luffy to fell down to the ground.

"No fair!" Luffy said as he tried to grab the beanstalk on his way down.

"Yahahahaha!" Enel laughed as he watch Luffy fall.

**-X-**

"Wiper, you`ll die if you start climbing now!" Aisa said as Wiper began to head for the beanstalk. "You`ll never get to him anyways. He`s flying!"

"Move away from the beanstalk! Something`s falling down!" Usopp warned everyone as the piece of beanstalk Enel broke off fell to the ground.

"What is going on up there?" Robin asked looking at the beanstalk fragment.

"My guess is Luffy got closer to Enel, and Enel zapped the top of the beanstalk," Kakusei said with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Oh no! Luffy!" Usopp yelled in panic. "Anyone see Luffy`s corpse anywhere?"

"Way to have faith in our captain, Usopp," Kakusei said quietly to himself. Robin heard it and giggled a little at Kakusei`s sarcasm.

"See Wiper, I told you!" Aisa said holding up Wiper`s head. "You can`t climb now!"

"The bell is right above us," Wiper said slowly. "I was so close to granting the great Kalgara`s wish!"

**-X-**

Enel taunted Luffy as he hung from the beanstalk. "Did you want to fight me? I`m not going anywhere."

"Damn you," Luffy cursed at Enel.

"Yahahahahahaha! You can just stay there," Enel said as he looked down on Luffy. "I`ll show you something really nice. Enel then disappeared by turning to lightning.

"Eh? He disappeared!" Luffy said still hanging from the beanstalk.

**-X-**

**If at First you don`t Succeed…**

**-X-**

Eventually, Luffy swung his golden ball up to the top of the cloud he was just on. "Th… there… I`m up here… again. Now`s my chance… to get up on the ship." Then Nami ran him over with the Waiver.

"Luffy!" Nami exclaimed as she realized she ran him over.

"Eh? Nami?" Luffy asked muffled under the Waiver`s wheel. "How did you get here?"

"I came to get you," Nami replied. "Sanji and Usopp got me out of the ship a while ago."

"Oh, that`s great," Luffy said excitedly. "Right now we need to… eh? What`s that?" Luffy pointed out a huge ball of dark clouds in the sky.

"Oh my god, what is that!" Nami exclaimed. "Oh no, that cloud looks like it has a lot more condensed electricity than a normal cloud!"

**-X-**

"Guys, I think we have a problem," Kakusei said as he pointed out the giant ball of thunderclouds above Angel Island.

"What the heck is that?" Zoro asked.

"That is one huge ball of thunderclouds!" Aisa said a little worried.

"Am I dreaming! I can`t believe my eyes!" Usopp screamed.

"I`ve got a bad feeling about this," Gan Fall said slowly.

**-X-**

"Yahahaha! I am the absolute power in the sky!" Enel said gloating over his current success. "I surprise even myself with my power! With Maxim, all miracles are possible!" Then the giant ball of thunderclouds fell on Angel Island, and then detonated, releasing its massive electrical charge. "Raigoh!" After the flash of light, Angel Island and even the sea cloud below it was vaporized. "Hmm, what a great view it is. Those eyesores no longer stop the sun from shining."

**-X-**

After the Raigoh disappeared, the lightning started up again. "First the explosion, and now it`s raining thunder strikes again?" Usopp said with a look like he just soiled himself. "We really are doomed!"

"Angel Island was eradicated?" Gan Fall said slowly. "Why? Why? Enel! You really are a heartless monster!"

"Enel," Kakusei said as he clenched his fists, "To have such disregard for human lives…" Kakusei`s normally brown eyes glowed a bright, almost azure blue for a split second, and Robin seemed to be the only one who took notice.

"Kakusei, who are you?" Robin asked herself.

**-X-**

"Luffy, get on the Waver!" Nami said to Luffy worriedly. "We`re leaving! The others are probably back on the ship by now! We have to go too!"

"No," was all Luffy replied.

"What do you mean, 'No'!" Nami said still worried.

"I don`t have to save you now, but I still have something to take care of," Luffy said staunchly.

"Take care of!" Nami yelled. "Are you still thinking of fighting Enel!"

"No," Luffy said calmly. "The golden bell is here!"

"Gold… I know gold is important, but we`ll die if we don`t escape now!" Nami said. "You saw it too, right? Even if you are immune to lightning, he can still destroy an entire island and you with it! You already have that huge chunk of gold on your hand! So let`s go or you`ll die for sure!"

"I don`t die that easily," Luffy said still serious.

"If he does that thing here, you will!" Nami said to Luffy.

"You saw it down there, right!" Luffy said in response.

"Saw what?" Nami asked.

"The golden city!" Luffy replied. "The golden city does exist! It wasn`t a lie. The diamond-head mister`s ancestor wasn`t lying! I have to tell him that Norland wasn`t lying, and that the golden city does exist! If I ring that bell really hard, I`m sure he`ll hear it!"

"Luffy…" Nami said in awe of Luffy`s kindness.

"I can`t let that bastard Enel get the bell!" Luffy said. "I have to ring that bell so loud that everyone in the Blue Sea can hear it! That`s why I`m staying here, and I`m gonna ring the bell no matter what!"

**-X-**

…**Try, Try Again**

**-X-**

Luffy grabbed onto the side of the Maxim with his good hand, trying to pull himself up to fight Enel. "Got it…" he said tired. Then Enel just kicked his hand off the Maxim sending him down again. "Enel!"

"Yahahaha, I don`t remember inviting you on this ship," Enel said as he watched Luffy fall again.

"I told you that wouldn`t work!" Nami yelled at Luffy.

"Damn that bastard!" Luffy cursed.

"Yahaha, did you like the view when the island vanished?" Enel asked. "Girl, if you are thinking of rejoining me, it is too late now."

"I never would have joined you anyways!" Nami yelled at Enel.

"Hah!" Enel exclaimed. "As soon as I find what I want, I will summon another Raigoh, and eradicate Skypiea completely! You and the others below you can do nothing but stare helplessly…"

"Others…?" Nami asked herself quietly.

"…As I destroy this country unfit for the sky, and return everything where it belongs!" Enel finished saying.

"I`ll never let that happen!" Luffy yelled as he ran up the remains of the beanstalk.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled watching him head towards Enel. Enel just zapped the top of the bean tower and watched him fall back to the cloud.

"Yahahahahaha! Farewell, rubber man!" Enel said haughtily. "Just stay there quietly and wait there for your doom! No one can stop it from happening!"

"Oh, I know. Nami, let me borrow this," Luffy said as he grabbed the Waiver. Of course, he can`t pilot the thing worth crap, and fell right off when Enel zapped him. "Damn it! No matter what, for Ossan and the gorilla! I will ring the golden bell!"

"Luffy…" Nami said as before.

**-X-**

**Ring the Bell for Them**

**-X-**

"Oi, oi! In the golden city, there`s supposed to be a bell right?" Luffy asked Robin a few hours earlier.

"Yes, that is what was recorded in Norland`s diary," Robin replied.

"I think I remember reading about that back in my world," Kakusei commented.

"Why do you ask?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah, why, why?" Chopper asked very childlike.

"I just had a funny idea," Luffy said smiling. "If I ring that bell really hard, then won`t the diamond head ossan and the gorillas hear it?"

"That does make sense," Kakusei said calmly.

**-X-**

"You mean… Luffy is trying to…" Wiper said slowly.

"Yes. According to what he said, he probably is…" Robin replied.

"He wants to ring the bell, too?" Wiper asked in shock.

"If he said he`s going to do that, then there is no way Nami can get him down," Zoro said.

"That`s just the way Luffy is," Kakusei commented, putting his hands behind his head again.

"His target`s the same as Enel`s after all," Zoro said.

**-X-**

The Skypieans could only look in shock at the hole where their homes once were.

"This is terrible," one citizen commented. "Our island is completely gone!"

"The heaven`s gate was destroyed along with the island!" another citizen said in fear.

"Eh?" a third citizen said shocked. "Then we can`t even get down to the White Sea, not to mention Cloud`s End!"

"Is there nothing we can do other than sit here and wait for the same thing that happened to Angel Island to happen to us!" yet another citizen said in fear.

"This is horrible!" a fifth citizen said in fear. "Are we just sitting ducks!"

"The White White Sea is disappearing little by little!" a sixth citizen said again fearing for their life.

**-X-**

"This is it. This is the Golden Bell of Shandia!" Enel said looking at the vine covered golden bell. "The bell that marked the start of a 400-year war! Marvelous… I shall take it with me to Endless Earth!"

**-X-**

**Timber!**

**-X-**

"Danger! Something is falling down again!" Usopp said pointing at the falling object.

Immediately, Kakusei recognized what it was. "I got it," he said as he flew up and grabbed the object, slowly bringing it down.

"Duck for cover!" Usopp said diving away.

"Relax Usopp, it`s a leaf," Kakusei said looking annoyed.

"Look, something`s written on it!" Aisa said pointing out the writing as Kakusei folded the leaf so it was easier to handle. "It`s a message from Luffy and Nami!"

"What`s it say?" Usopp asked back on his feet.

" 'Cut the beanstalk and make it fall westward'," Robin said slowly.

"What good would that do?" Usopp said quickly. "Danger! Look again!" Everyone looked where Usopp was pointing and looked in shock.

"Enel, that monster," Gan Fall said as we all looked at another Raigoh.

"It`s even bigger than the previous one…" Kakusei said in awe at its sheer size.

"There`s no way we can get away from that," Usopp said slowly. "We are all DOOMED!"

**-X-**

"Yahahaha! Farewell Skypiea!" Enel said basking in the potential destructive ability of his newest Raigoh.

**-X-**

"It's bigger than the last one! Dammit!" Luffy yelled.

" He'll use that to finish this land off," Nami said in awe. "It looks like he found the golden bell...! Enel said that there were 'voices right below us,' which means the others haven't gone to the ship yet. I hope they got my message."

"Yeah, we did," Kakusei said shocking Nami and Luffy.

"Kakusei, where did you come from?" Nami asked in shock.

"I can teleport, remember?" Kakusei said a bit smugly. "Anyway, we`ll get that beanstalk down as soon as possible. Luffy, if we`re gonna survive this, we need you to break that Raigoh." Kakusei pointed to the Raigoh. "I know you can do it," he said as he teleported back down to the ground.

" Aren't you going to escape, Nami?" Luffy asked.

" You want to ring the golden bell no matter what, don't you?" Nami asked Luffy

" Yeah! I WILL!" Luffy said loudly and staunchly.

" But you can't even ride a Waver, so I`ll have to do it for you," Nami replied. " I know you'd just try to jump, if I left you. For this plan to work, I`m entrusting my life to you."

"GOT IT!" Luffy said. "DON`T WORRY ABOUT IT!"

" We'll only have one chance... one split-second...!" Nami said.

**-X-**

" THEY`RE GONNA CROSS THE FALLEN STALK AND JUMP TO THE SHIP?" Usopp said in shock.

" What else are we supposed to do?" Zoro yelled at Usopp.

" THAT'S TOTALLY INSANE...!" Usopp yelled in response.

" Go up there and stop him, then," Kakusei said calmly as he teleported back to the ground.

" AS IF HE COULD BE STOPPED!" Usopp yelled still.

" Insane or not, either way, all we can do for them is try it," Zoro said calmly. Then lightning struck where they were standing. "Quick, get onto solid land! We'll be dropped down onto the ruins if we stay here any longer!"

**-X-**

"Yahahaha... Little worms... why do you bother running about now?" Enel said haughtily. "Your fate was already decided when you took the survival challenge."

**-X-**

"Alright, cut the beanstalk and make it fall towards the ship, we have to do it before Enel throws that thing on us," Zoro said looking at the Raigoh. "Right now, the survival of the sky island rests on Luffy`s shoulders!" He ran towards the beanstalk. "Alright, chop off the beanstalk from its west side."

"Can… can… can he make it?" Usopp said almost crying and soiling himself. "PLEASE! YOU`RE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN COUNT THAT THING!"

**-X-**

"You just can't accept your defeat, can you...?" Enel said. "No amount of struggling or running can help you now. All of my goals have been achieved... so, I'll use this "Raigoh" to destroy the emperonimbus clouds supporting your land, and I will journey to the Endless Earth. Yahahaha... I suppose I'll probably miss this place."

**-X-**

Zoro drew Wado Ichimonji while he dodged more lightning strikes. "Can`t he give these blasts a break for a second?" he asked. Then he jumped at the beanstalk and cut a huge chunk out of it.

"Yes! He did it!" Usopp said with an air of confidence around him. Then Zoro got hit by a lightning bolt. "Zoro! Crap! At least he was able to cut the beanstalk!"

"It`s no good, look!" Robin said drawing our attention to the beanstalk.

"It`s not falling down?" Usopp said in shock.

"Dammit!" Kakusei said. "There`s two halves to the beanstalk, we need to cut both!"

"How are we supposed to cut the other half?" Usopp asked frantically.

Then all of a sudden, the giant snake rammed the beanstalk with its head, but it only tilted it slightly. "You can't, Wiper! Stop it!" Aisa said as she tried to stop Wiper from moving.

" Be silent. That bell... is meant for us to ring, the descendants of Calgara...!" Wiper said still in pain. "What does that Straw Hat have to do with it?"

" Forget him, Robin," Usopp said calmly for once. "He`s half dead so he can't possibly stop us. Knocking over the vine comes first! Luffy and Nami are waiting, up there! NOW, ZORO HAS CUT IT HALFWAY! And the entire thing is slanting to the side! I, Captain Usopp, and my "Dance of the Kayaku-Boshi" will send it toppling with a giant shriek! Yes, that's right... I am the heart of this pirate crew! MOVE OUT!"

" Wait..." Wiper said weakly.

" 400 years ago..." Robin began saying slowly, "an explorer on the Blue Sea lied, saying he saw a 'City of Gold.' The world laughed at him, but his descendants are still searching for the golden city today, down on the Blue Sea. And if the golden bell is rung, those descendants will know the City of Gold rests in the sky. That's what the "Straw Hat Boy" is thinking. Isn't it romantic? He`s throwing his life away to deliver that message." Then another explosion happened right behind Robin.

"And what was the descendant's name...?" Wiper asked.

"Monblanc Cricket," Robin replied.

"Then, 400 years ago..." Wiper said through his tears. "His name was Monblanc Norland."

"Yes," Robin replied.

Wiper looked at Kakusei. "So that`s how he knew, that bastard," he said in his mind.

"Wiper?" Aisa asked as he shoved her hat over her eyes.

"Is this your will too?" Wiper said in his mind as he walked forward. "Oh, great Kalgara."

Meanwhile, Usopp was being the overconfident (out of the face of danger) person he was and tried to burn the other half of the beanstalk. "Hissatsu, Kayaku-Boshi! (Gunpowder Star!) Kayaku Hoshi-Boshi! Usopp Rubber Band! GWAAAH! KAYAKU-BOSHI! ROLLING KAYAKU-BOSHI!" And still, no effect. "Hahh... hahh! Damn, it didn't do a thing! Is that really a plant? Next one will be three..."

Wiper cut him off by shoving his hand in Usopp face. "Move," was all Wiper said as he walked up to the beanstalk. Kakusei immediately realized what Wiper was about to do.

"Wiper, don`t do it! You`ll kill yourself!" was all Kakusei could say before Wiper jumped over to the remaining half of the beanstalk.

He put his right arm down onto the tower, and yelled at the top of his lungs, "REJECT!"

BOOM! A giant hole got ripped into the beanstalk, thanks to Wiper`s efforts.

"What the fuck was that?" Usopp yelled as his eyes bugged out of his head.

"That fool used the Reject Dial again!" Gan Fall said almost angry at Wiper. Wiper hit the ground with a THUD, unable to move from the aftermath of the Reject Dial.

"Break, you damn beanstalk," Wiper said in his mind as his body was unable to do so. The bean stalk began to lean and we all got ready for the thundering crash it would make, but somehow, the remains of Wiper`s attack held strong. "Damn it. Why won`t you break?"

"I guess it`s my turn," Kakusei said stepping up.

"What do you expect to do?" Gan Fall asked. "Even a Reject Dial couldn`t break Giant Jack, what do you expect to do?"

"I`m gonna break it thanks to Wiper making a nice chink in the armor," Kakusei said as the wind began to swirl around him. "This has to be just right," Kakusei said in his mind as he walked forward. "If I screw this attack up, I could destroy the rest of the island. No pressure." Kakusei stopped a few meters away from the beanstalk, and took a certain position. The wind began to center in his hands as a blue and white ball of Ki was created in the center of the wind. "Little more, just a little more… There!" Kakusei said in his mind as he balanced the wind and Ki. "Here goes nothing!" he yelled. "Geiru no Kamehameha!"

BOOM! The wind-enhanced Kamehameha blew through the rest of the beanstalk, while the wind surrounding the blast finally caused Giant Jack to tip over.

CREEEEEAK! The tower began to fall. "He did it…" Gan Fall said in astonishment. "Never have I seen an attack like that."

"Kakusei," Robin said slowly.

"Look out, it`s coming down!" Usopp said his eyes bugging out again.

**-X-**

**One Last Run**

**-X-**

"It`s tilting!" Nami said as she revved up the Waiver. "This is it, Luffy!"

""Okay, Nami, give it all you`ve got!" Luffy said ready to go.

"I`ve never actually tried the Jet Dial`s top speed," Nami said a little uneasy, "so I don`t know if I can control it…"

"I trust you!" Luffy said just as confidently.

"Okay!" Nami said as they shot off like a rocket.

**-X-**

"Look!" A Skypiean said watching Upper Yard. "Over there, at Upper Yard! Giant Jack is falling down!"

**-X-**

"Here we go, Luffy!" Nami said as the Waiver rocketed up Giant Jack.

"Right!" Luffy replied.

"Go kick his ass, Luffy!" both Usopp and Kakusei said at the same time.

"Can`t wait to die, can you?" Enel said still confident. "Fine, I`ll just destroy the island before you get to me! Mamaragan!"

**-X-**

"The thunder strikes are being focused on Upper Yard!" one of the Skypieans commented.

**-X-**

"Yahahahah!" Enel said haughtily. "How dare you insolent fools presume that you can reach me!"

"He`s attacking the base of the beanstalk directly!" Nami said as the lightning struck around them. "If the beanstalk loses its foundation, we won`t be able to get higher and we won`t reach Enel!"

**-X-**

"Upper Yard is Disintegrating!" the Skypieans yelled as the lightning struck.

**-X-**

"Luffy! Nami!" Usopp yelled as fearful as ever.

"Yahahaha! Lightning might not work on you, but if you can't get to me, what's the point?" Enel said still haughty. "Fall below and wait for the completion of my "Raigoh," Rubber Boy!"

"Looks like Enel is doing his best to keep away from close combat with you," Nami said as she and Luffy bounded up Giant Jack.

"He won`t get away that easily!" Luffy said determined to get Enel.

**-X-**

"Most of the clouds above the ruins is gone!" Usopp said loudly.

"Soon even the ground will be gone too!" Gan Fall said a bit fearful.

"Wiper`s still down there!" Aisa said in a moment of clarity.

"And so are Kakusei and Zoro!" Usopp said still in shock.

"The ruins…" Robin said slowly.

"It`s useless Enel…" Wiper said slowly as he got up. "You will never… you will never destroy Shandia!"

"Wiper!" Aisa said worried for Wiper.

"Under any circumstances, we bravely charge forward **AND SURVIVE!**" Wiper yelled to the sky. "**YOU SHALL NEVER SMOTHER THE PRIDE OF OUR EXISTANCE! NO MATTER HOW MANY RUINS YOU DESTROY OR HOW MANY FORESTS YOU BURN…**"

"Stay back," Robin said calmly as she grabbed Aisa.

"RUN WIPER OR YOU`LL DIE!" Aisa said fearing the worst.

"…**BUT SHANDIA SHALL NEVER FALL!" **Wiper yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Hmm? Are those someone`s dying words I hear?" Enel said as a blast of lightning hit where Wiper was.

"Of course…" Gan Fall said in his mind as Wiper`s words resonated in his mind. "The earth will not fall! Upper Yard can never be bested or destroyed! The strength of the earth, the greatness of this land is profound. None of us has a right to claim it as their own! Why have none of us realized this for the past 400 years?"

"Wiper! Wiper!" Aisa exclaimed as she saw Wiper still standing and alive.

"Get back or the beanstalk will crush you!" Usopp said as he grabbed Aisa.

"Go get him, you brat," Wiper said as Luffy and Nami shot off the top of Giant Jack towards the Maxim.

**-X-**

**Light Up the Sky**

**-X-**

"I`m coming Enel!" Luffy said as he and Nami got closer.

"Will this ever end?" Enel asked almost annoyed by Luffy`s attempts at attacking him.

"Give back the golden bell!" Luffy yelled at Enel at the top of his lungs.

"You`re too late, worm," Enel said calmly. "This should be big enough, so it is now time for you and Skypeia to vanish into thin air! RAIGOH!"

The Raigoh loomed over all present, and doom seemed imminent. "Luffy, I hope you were paying attention to what I told you," Kakusei said with a smile on his face, "or otherwise we`re all screwed."

"Thanks Nami, I`ll take it from here!" Luffy said as he pushed Nami and the Waver to a nearby cloud.

"Wait, Luffy, the ship is that way!" Nami said as Luffy headed straight for the Raigoh. "Luffy, WAIT! That thing is a whirlpool of electrical currents and high air pressure! Do you want to die?"

"Yahahahaha! What can you do against such absolute power, rubber man?" Enel said laughing at Luffy`s move. Luffy went right into the Raigoh, shocking Nami and anyone else who saw what he did, except for Kakusei.

"Wait, didn` t Kakusei tell Luffy to…?" Nami said realizing what Kakusei knew would happen.

"**GOMU GOMU NO HANABI: OUGON BOTAN! **(Gomu Gomu no Fireworks: Golden Peony!)" Luffy screamed as he swung the giant golden ball attached to his right arm rapidly making it look like an explosion of gold. "We worked hard to get to Skypeia. I won`t let you destroy it, you lightning bastard!" The Raigoh began to look like it was cracking and began to emit light.

"Why is it suddenly emitting light like that?" Nami asked shielding her eyes.

"Perfect Luffy," Kakusei said smiling and shielding his eyes as well. "You got exactly what we needed you to do."

"Damn it," Enel said in his mind, realizing what Luffy just did. "I forgot that his golden ball could act as a conductor! I have to get rid of them before he depletes the electricity!" The golden ball began to fall on Skypeia. "All of you will now DIE!" Enel said hoping to finish the people off.

**-X-**

"Captain, we are in God`s land, so that`s…" one of the White Berets told their captain, who was on his knees, praying.

"It doesn`t matter as someone just waiting to die and powerless to prevent it!" the captain said out loud. "We can only pray, there is nothing else we can do," he said in his mind.

**-X-**

"Does God even exist?" Conis wondered aloud. "If he does, will he save us? God… if you are there… we need a miracle… PLEASE SAVE THESE PEOPLE, O GOD! PLEASE SAVE THIS COUNTRY, O GOD!"

**-X-**

"Clear the sky, NOW!" Luffy said as he finally broke the Raigoh, letting the sun shine back in.

**-X-**

"The giant ball of cloud disappeared," the Shandians noticed. "How did that happen?"

"Alright, Luffy!" Usopp said with tears in his eyes. "Now KICK HIS ASS!"

"Nice job Luffy," Kakusei said as he put his hands behind his head. "Now just finish the job."

"Ring it you brat!" Wiper said at the top of his lungs. "Re-ignite the Light of Shandia!"

"Yes, my young friend," Gan Fall said in awe of what Luffy had done. "Please let us hear the song of the island!"

Luffy wound up his right arm, the gold ball still on it. "Hi again. This time, I`m gonna knock you off!" Luffy said knowing he could kick Enel`s ass.

"How dare you destroy the Raigoh, you Blue Sea monkey!" Enel said angrily. "Now you have truly angered God!" Enel completely turned into lightning and increased his size to truly resemble a god. "200 Million Volt Reishin!"

"What`s that?" Luffy asked looking at Enel`s new form.

"YOU, ring the GOLDEN BELL? You've been hanging on this whole time because of that silly legend?" Enel said as he blasted Luffy with his left arm. "I am GOD! One little Paramecia user cannot stand a chance against the mightiest of Logia powers!"

"I already told you, they don't work on me!" Luffy said as he ran up the arm Enel blasted him with. "Just shut up with your God crap, already! What kind of GOD... CAN'T SAVE A SINGLE DAMN THING?" Luffy kicked Enel right in the face. "GUAHH!"

"Did you forget I have another weapon?" Enel said as Luffy was stabbed with Enel`s golden trident.

"Luffy!" Nami exclaimed.

"Yahahaha! How unfortunate for you rubber man!" Enel said haughtily. "You are stuck there for good!"

"HOOOT!" Luffy yelled in pain.

"How ironic that the golden ball on your arm is just causing the trident to dig deeper into your body," Enel said still smug. "The only way out of that is to fall down! It is commendable that you got up here, but this is as far as you go! This country is inevitably doomed, for I will just make another Raigoh!"

"UUGUAAHH!" Luffy replied in pain. But then he remembered Conis crying about how she was forced to call the express shrimp, and how Aisa cried over the loss of Sky Island, and Luffy made his decision. He jumped back.

"Yahahaha! So you chose to fall to your doom!" Enel said laughing at Luffy`s situation.

"Luffy!" Nami said as she looked down from the cloud she was on.

"Nami, I`m going back up!" Luffy yelled as he grabbed onto the cloud Nami` was on. His right arm had stretched out and when retracted, would shoot up like a giant yo-yo.

"What?" Enel said in shock.

"You`re going down, you stupid, big-eared freak!" Luffy cried out. "Gomu Gomu no ROCKET!" His arm shot him back up to Enel` s height, twisting up all the while. "Gomu Gomu no…"

"You want to try again?" Enel said questioning Luffy`s actions.

"I will make the bell ring, NO MATTER WHAT!" Luffy cried out again.

"Yahahaha! Dream on scum!" Enel said creating two golden tridents. "I`ll be sure to pierce your heart this time!"

"**Gomu Gomu no OUGON RIFLE!**" Luffy said as he swung his right arm forward. The massive extra weight and twisting of his arm created so much speed and rotational force, that Luffy`s punch broke the sound barrier, creating a sonic boom.

"It`s so fast!" Enel said in his mind, realizing he was doomed to lose. Even though he could sense the attack with his Mantra, Enel could no t match the speed of sound Luffy just broke. The golden ball connected with Enel, reverting him back to his normal form, though still made of lightning. Luffy`s gold covered hand, and Enel with it, were heading straight for the bell.

"RIIIING!" Luffy said as he sent Enel on a crash-course with the bell. "Diamond-head ossan, do you hear it?" Luffy said in his mind as Enel got slammed into the bell, also breaking the gold ball on Luffy`s arm. "The golden city is here! For the whole 400 years, the city of gold has been here in the sky!" Luffy fell backward, his arm finally free from his golden trap. "Diamond-head ossan, big monkeys, did you hear it? The golden city does exist!"

**BOOOOONG, BOOOOONG, BOOOOONG, BOOOOONG, BOOOOONG…**

"He did it!" Usopp said crying.

"What a beautiful sound…" Robin said.

"I`ve never heard anything like it…" Kakusei said closing his eyes. "It`s so beautiful."

"Wow! How nice!" Chopper said, full of child-like wonder. "What`s that sound? What`s that sound?"

"I knew it," Gan Fall said. "I knew this day would come. I knew it!"

"So this is what Norland heard back then…" Sanji said, reveling in the bell`s sound.

**-X-**

"Is that the Vearth… singing?" Conis asked from the Going Merry.

**-X-**

"Does God really exist?" the White Beret captain asked in awe of what just happened.

**-X-**

"It's a miracle... After 400 years of silence... We had given it up for lost..." the Shandian Chief said in awe. "We thought that bell would never ring again...! Great Warrior Calgara, can you hear it? It`s the ringing of the Light of Shandia."

**-X-**

"What just happened in our country?" the Skypieans asked one another. "What is this sound? Could it be… THE LEGENDARY SONG?

**-X-**

"Can you hear it, Monblanc Norland?" Wiper asked as if he were speaking to heaven. "I`m sorry to be a little late," he said as Zoro and Kakusei looked towards him, resting. "I only hope your descendant can hear this." The giant snake also seemed quite happy the bell was finally rung.

**-X-**

"Hey, ossan, is that…" both Shojou and Masira asked Cricket.

"Yep," Cricket replied, "no doubt about it. Romantic, isn`t it?"

"In the sky…" Masira said in awe.

"I`m getting on edge with excitement!" Shojou said excited.

"Only one bell could possibly ring that long," Cricket said now figuring things out. "There is an explanation for why giant "monsters" appear along with emperonimbus clouds... That there are humans high up in the clouds, and on very bright, sunny days, their shadows are reflected from high above, upon the mists below. As if they were enormous 'monsters.' "

"Then those monsters are just... people in the sky? How could they confirm that?" Masira said inquisitively. "I mean... we never knew there were people in the sky..."

"Well, it seems to be true. Now we can hear the sound of a bell from the sky. The sound of a giant, golden bell... which means the City of Gold... was in the sky." Cricket said looking towards the emperonimbus cloud. "Norland... my ancestor... Wasn't a liar...! And that... is what you're telling me from up there... Right, kid...?" Cricket, Masira, and Shojou all looked at the emperonimbus cloud. " ...so, you found the City of Gold up there, huh...?" What Cricket, Masira, Shojou, and their crews saw on the cloud was Luffy`s shadow as he was falling after his battle with Enel. " Thanks...! Uugh…"

"Ossan, what`s wrong?" the monkeys asked Cricket as he hunched over. "Are you feeling sick?"

"I`m just glad that they`re all okay," Cricket said crying like a baby out of happiness.

**-X-**

"Look, it`s god`s air ship!" one of the angels pointed out as the Maxim dropped out of the sky and into the sea cloud. "Look, it`s god!" Enel soon followed his ship into the cloud, unconscious. "They sank! God Enel and his ship sank!"

"It rang," Luffy said lying spread eagle on the cloud he had pushed Nami onto.

"Yup," Nami said with a smile on her face.

"You think they heard it?" Luffy asked Nami.

"I`m sure they did," Nami said. "You think Kakusei will come and get us down safely soon?"

"Maybe," Luffy said grinning as he always did.

**-X-**

I finally got to it, but I wrapped up Enel`s defeat at the hands of Luffy. I did skip the 400-year flashback, but I`ll make a summed-up version for next chapter.

Next chapter, we party hard due to Enel`s defeat!

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	13. Chapter 13

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 13: Dancing Under the Stars**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

**Recovery**

**-X-**

After Enel was beaten, the Skypieans landed on the shores of Shandia, and began getting everyone unloaded.

Back at the beanstalk base, Aisa looked towards the forest and saw a familiar face had survived. "Aisa, were you worried about you treasure?"Laki asked as she held up the bag of earth that was Aisa`s treasure.

"That`s not important, you silly," Aisa said as she began to cry. "LAKI!" she cried out as she hugged Laki. The other Shandian warriors began to wake up as well, all still alive from the survival game.

**-X-**

"Worry about me later," Zoro said trying to brush off Chopper.

"No, I have to heal you right now!" Chopper said, his doctor instincts taking over.

"It`s not me you should be healing," Zoro said turning his head.

"Oi, Chopper, can you come over here?" Kakusei said kneeling over Wiper. "Wiper seems pretty beat up."

"Beat up seems to be an understatement," Chopper said as he examined Wiper. "Every bone in his body is broken!"

"So why are we helping one of the raiders?" Sanji asked as he walked up.

"I don`t quite understand his situation, but he`s an honorable warrior," Zoro said calmly.

"Trust me," Kakusei said standing up. "If any of us had been in his place, we probably would have done the same thing."

"Do you guys pity him?" Sanji asked.

"Can you fix him," Aisa asked, "Tanuki-chan?"

"I`M A REINDEER!" Chopper exclaimed. "SEE, I HAVE ANTLERS! But yeah, he`ll be fine."

"So... is Nami-san okay...? Well, Luffy's with her, so I guess she'll be all right…" Sanji said to himself. "I'm worried about Conis-chan, too... Where could she be...? So what happened with that golden bell?"

"It probably fell down," Usopp said sitting down on a rock.

"It`s too bad we couldn`t steal the gold from Enel`s ship," Sanji commented, "and the golden city is all but empty now."

"So we`re stuck being penniless pirates then, huh?" Zoro commented.

"I want one of those Dials though," Usopp said, "You can`t find those in the Blue Seas."

"I really is amazing, isn`t it?" Kakusei said as he walked up to Robin and sat down next to her.

"What is?" Robin asked, wanting to hear Kakusei`s answer.

"This island, the city, the fact we`re basically sitting on a cloud," Kakusei said with a dreaming look on his face, "everything is just so amazing, and not just that. Being a part of the crew with all of your guys is one of the things I always felt like I wanted to, no should be doing. It`s like a dream. Nothing like this was at all possible back in my world. This is the stuff of fantasies and imagination. For me, this is a living dream, and I never want to wake up."

"That really paints a picture," Robin said looking at Kakusei with her smile still on her face.

"Oh, that reminds me," Kakusei said as he got up quickly. "I have to do something for Wiper, after I get Luffy and Nami down."

"What is it?" Robin asked as Kakusei ran off in a random direction.

"That`s a surprise," Kakusei said giving Robin a brief wink as he ran off.

**-X-**

"Is it really okay to leave Wiper with those people from the Blue Sea?" Kamakiri asked Laki.

"It`ll be fine," Laki replied. "Aisa trusts them, and we should too."

"All right, we`ve got something else to take care of," Kamakiri said as they walked away. "Gather up everyone who can still move, and we`ll banish the head priests to a desert cloud. Without Enel around, they`re just a bunch of thugs."

**-X-**

"Pierre, you should go rest with the Blue Sea residents," Gan Fall said to Pierre, both walking away from the battle site.

"Pyah, pyah!" was all Pierre said in response.

**-X-**

"Hey!" Luffy and Kakusei yelled towards Sanji and Usopp.

"Aaaaaah~~~~~!" Sanji swooned as he saw the "lights of his life", and two guys, coming towards him. "Nami-swan! Conis-chan! Luffy, Kakusei!"

"I'm so glad... you're all safe!" Conis said crying. "I was so worried... but I couldn't do anything about it..."

"Conis-chan, you were worried about me?" Sanji said doing his noodle-leg dance and having hearts pop out of his visible eye.

"Not just you," Usopp said being blunt.

"Is that food?" Zoro asked looking at the huge bag we carried with us. "Where`d you get it?"

"Luffy, Nami!" Aisa said happily.

"We found the priest`s storage shed in the forest on the way here," Nami said in response.

"There`s still a bunch left," Luffy said with a cooked fish in his mouth.

"There`s enough to feed the entire island, I think," Kakusei said.

"How did you get down from up there?" Usopp asked.

"I can teleport, remember?" Kakusei said holding up his right arm.

"Hey, Conis, where`s your father?" Zoro asked.

"He… he… tried to protect me," Conis said shakily, "… and Enel…"

"You mean…" Chopper said.

"Conis-chan…," Sanji said slowly.

"Conis-chan…," Pagaya said slowly.

"Conis…," Luffy said slowly.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Kakusei said looking at Pagaya.

"YOU SOUND LIKE YOU AREN`T THE ONE WHO DIED!" Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, Zoro, and Kakusei all yelled at Pagaya while pointing at him with their right pointer fingers.

"I`m sorry!" Pagaya said shocked. "I am still alive!"

"You fell to the White Sea below?" we all said asking Pagaya.

"Yes, sorry," Pagaya said apologizing again.

"Father!" Conis said hugging her father and crying.

"When I awoke, I had been knocked down there. And I just got back up..." Pagaya explained. "The other people who had gone to the lower levels, heading towards Clouds' End, were using Milky Dials from the White White Sea to return back here... But since Angel Island has been destroyed in its entirety, they're all heading here, to Upperyard."

**-X-**

"GOD!" a battered-looking Skypiean said as Gan Fall walked towards him.

"I am not called that, anymore..." said Gan Fall hanging his head low. "I'm glad to see you're alive. Don't open your mouth... I'm very glad... You've spent six years like this... forgive me! It's all over, now...! You can return to your families!"

"But, God, I saw it! Angel Island is destroyed! Our home is gone!" the Skypiean said. "And the Shandians have no home as well! Is the war really over?"

"Chief... 400 years of bloodshed... might not be that easy to overcome..." said a Shandian warrior to the Shandian chief. "Even though the High Priests are gone..."

**-X-**

"God shall never be defeated!" Enel said as the Maxim flew off in the night in defeat. "I shall return one day. It is time to return... to "God's" true place... cough... Nothing in the sky... can be allowed to block my view... Hahh... You were nothing more than an impediment... Yahahaha... no one else can have it... it's all mine... Hahh... The dream world, the endless Vearth...! LET'S GO, 'MAXIM.' TO THE WORLD OF GOD THAT FLOATS IN THE NIGHT SKY... THE 'FAIRY VEARTH'!" Enel drove the Maxim to his intended location, the moon.

**-X-**

"I`m so full," Usopp said patting his stomach.

"Hey, anyone seen Kakusei?" Chopper asked. "He missed dinner."

"I think he was on the ship last I saw him," Sanji replied. "He was working on something like a madman."

"It`s nighttime now," Zoro said bluntly.

"What should we do?" Nami asked everyone present. "Go back to the ship?"

"Nami! How can you say that?" Luffy said loudly.

"Huh?" Nami said confused.

"Usopp, how could she say that?" Luffy asked Usopp.

"She is inhuman!" Usopp replied.

"What are you talking about?" Nami replied angrily.

**-X-**

** "**Where am I?" Wiper asked waking up.

"In the ruins of Shandia," Gan Fall explained.

"Gan Fall!" Wiper exclaimed. "And you are from Skypiea!"

Conis grabbed Wiper trying to hold him down. "No you can`t move yet!" she said as she tried to hold him down.

"Don`t push yourself. You need your wounds to heal," the Shandian chief told Wiper. "Despite our long battle for whatever reasons that occurred hundreds of years ago... For all of us alive today, the sky is our homeland..."

"Chief!" Wiper exclaimed.

"Listen to me, Wiper... The Vearth does not reject any man," the Chief said.

"…that is right," Gan Fall said. "And right now, not a single person…"

"…wishes to fight," the Chief said as Wiper looked on at all the citizens of Skypiea, Shandian and Angel.

"PAAAARTY!" Luffy said as a bonfire ignited and most everyone began dancing around a bonfire.

"Well, I guess I can take a break for a little while," Kakusei said as he walked up to the party. "I need to grab some food, I skipped dinner."

**-X-**

**Three Days Later…**

**-X-**

Kakusei stepped out to the fire again, and sat down next to Robin with a mug of grog in his hand. "So where have you been?" Robin asked. "You haven`t been around much."

"I would have been here sooner," Kakusei replied, "but the hangover I had from yesterday delayed my project a little." Kakusei took a swig of his grog.

"That`s right," Robin said. "You did seem to go a little overboard last night drinking."

"What possessed me to challenge Zoro to a drinking contest is beyond me," Kakusei said laughing. "I did learn two things yesterday though."

"What are they?" Robin asked.

"That I have a low alcoholic tolerance, and I seem to be able to recall the manga better when I`m drunk," Kakusei said looking at Robin with a smile on his face.

"Your morals also seem to drop a little when you get drunk as well," Robin said with her normal smile on her face.

"Really? So what happened last night?" Kakusei asked. "I blacked out after about ten or fifteen mugs of grog."

**-X-**

**Last Night**

**-X-**

"Come on Kakusei," Usopp said cheering him on, "one more and you`ll have matched Zoro!"

Kakusei took one last gulp of his grog, and shakily tried to flip him mug onto the table, all the while the crowd was cheering him on, saying, "Drink, drink, drink, drink!" However, Kakusei passed out and his mug missed the table, though his face didn`t.

"One, two three four, five, six," Usopp said beginning to count, "seven, eight, nine, TEN! Kakusei is unconscious! Zoro wins!" he said as he held up Zoro`s arm in the air as the crowd began to cheer. Kakusei woke up with a drunken haze in his eyes.

"Hey, no hard feelings," Zoro said holding his hand out in fellowship to Kakusei. "Most people can`t hold thirty mugs of grog like that."

Kakusei stood up shakily, and stumbled a bit as he walked towards Zoro. "Sure," he said slurring his words a bit. Then out of nowhere, he punched Zoro right in the face, shocking everyone in sight, but Zoro more than anyone else as he stumbled back a bit in surprise. "No hard feelings," Kakusei said as he took a stance that looked like he was holding two cups of sake in his hands.

**-X-**

"REALLY?" Kakusei said shocked. "I punched Zoro?"

"Yes, you did," Robin said smiling at the memories.

**-X-**

"Bring it," Kakusei said slurring his words. Then he swung his arm in a loose fashion and broke the table he and Zoro were having their drinking contest on in two.

"Crap, he`s fighting while drunk!" Zoro said surprised.

"Sanji, Luffy, get over here!" Usopp said running to get Sanji and Luffy. "Kakusei`s gone crazy!"

"Dammit!" Sanji said running towards where Kakusei and Zoro were. "Luffy, Marimo, we gotta hold him down before he hurts someone!" Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji grabbed Kakusei and were trying their best to not hurt him as they held him down.

"So why`s he trying to break stuff?" Luffy said while he had his rubbery arms wrapped around Kakusei`s neck and legs.

"I think Kakusei can use a fighting style called 'Drunken Fist'," Sanji said as he held down one of Kakusei`s arms. "I heard some travelers talking about it when I worked on the Baratie. They say that it is one of the most difficult fighting styles to master due to the flexibility needed and the unpredictability used in the attacks. I`ve also heard that some people are naturals at it, but only when drunk."

"So he`s gonna get like this every time he gets drunk?" Zoro said calmly holding down Kakusei`s other arm.

"Let`s hope not," Sanji said imagining what Kakusei would do at sea.

"Hey guys," Luffy said interjecting into the conversation.

"What?" Sanji and Zoro asked at the same time.

"Kakusei`s gone," Luffy said calmly as Sanji and Zoro realized Kakusei had somehow slipped out of their grasp while Sanji was talking.

"We need to spice this up," Kakusei said still in his drunken slur. "This is a PARTY! We need to get WILD!" He ran towards Conis, Laki, and Nami and in one fell swoop, grabbed all their shirts and tore off the fronts with a **RRRRIIIIP**!

"WAH!" Conis said covering herself.

"What the…?" Laki said covering herself as well. Apparently, Skypeians and Shandians knew nothing of bras.

"Dammit, Kakusei!" Nami said getting angry and after a split second, she covered her bra.

**-X-**

Kakusei spit out and coughed on the grog he was drinking. "I DID WHAT?" Kakusei yelled trying to imagine that picture. "I`m guessing Nami was pretty mad, right?"

"So was Cook-san, but he was pretty happy at with you at first," Robin replied giggling.

**-X-**

"Oh, Nami-swan and Conis-chan look even lovelier that they normally do!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes, his legs turning to noodles, and a nosebleed starting. "However," he said as he snapped back to normal, "this injustice against Nami-swan shall not go unpunished!" His eyes lit on fire as his anger ignited.

"Kakusei…" Nami said slowly and with anger rising in her voice.

"Eh?" Kakusei said turning around still drunk.

"You JERK!" Sanji and Nami said as Sanji kicked one side of Kakusei`s face while Nami punched the other. Kakusei dropped like a rock to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

"What the hell`s going on?" Wiper asked as he walked up to the fire. "Some of us are trying to sleep." And then he saw Laki`s shirt had a big hole in it. "Alright, who the HELL DID THIS?" he asked angrily.

"He did," everyone said pointing at Kakusei as he lay on the ground.

"Whas goin` on?" Kakusei said sitting up and looking around, still in a drunken haze. "Oh, hey Wiper what`s up?"

"What the hell, you little pervert?" Wiper asked. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Kakusei spun around on his back and jumped to his feet. "I need to go and… and finish mah project," was all he said as he stumbled his way back to the Going Merry.

Everyone just sat in silence as Kakusei walked away. A minute of awkward silence went by before finally, someone broke the silence. "Ha, haha, hahahahahahaha!" Luffy laughed thinking back on the situation. That started everyone else laughing except for the calmest or the most serious. Even Wiper and Zoro were laughing at what Kakusei just did in his drunken haze.

**-X-**

"That must have been when I worked on my project," Kakusei said looking at the night sky. "Cause when I woke up, a lot more progress had been made."

"By the way, what was that project you were working on?" Robin asked inquisitively. "I take it you finished it."

"I did," Kakusei said with a huge grin plastered on his face. "It was something I drew up for Wiper and all the residents of Shandia and Skypiea."

"What did you draw?" Robin asked.

**-X-**

**Drawing Up a Re-Write**

**-X-**

"Wiper-san, you`re up," Conis said as Wiper sat up. "Kakusei-kun left something for you."

"What did that pervert leave?" Wiper asked looking at Conis.

"This," Conis said handing Wiper a small book. "He said he wanted you to read this first, and then share it with everyone else."

"Wonder what this is?" Wiper asked aloud as he opened the book. "Wha… how did he…?" was all he said as he stared at the first pages of the book.

"What is it Wiper?" the Shandia Chief asked realizing Wiper was up.

Wiper began to quickly flip through the book, reading it all the while with great intent. "This… is… impossible…" Wiper began to cry, and held the book away from his face so as not to get his tears on the pages.

"Wiper?" the Chief asked again.

"He… he… documented our home`s history," Wiper said tears streaming down his face. "It`s all here, the great Calgara, Monblanc Norland, the bell, EVERYTHING!"

"WHAT?" the chief exclaimed as Wiper handed him the book. He was right; it was all in the book. How Calagra, the strongest Warrior the Shandians ever knew, held off any invaders, how the villagers were dying from a curse, how Norland landed on the beach and found that the curse was a disease called Tree-Rush, how Norland killed the "God" the Shandians thought had caused the disease (a giant snake similar to the one on Skypiea now), and how Norland risked his life for his crew and cured the Shandians, even after being trapped between two pieces of land that had been forced together by an earthquake, nearly killing him. Norland and Calgara`s friendship after the event was also there, how Norland`s crew stayed on the island for a while, but then were banished for cutting down sacred trees, which had caused the Tree-Rush, and how, as Norland`s crew was leaving, Calagara`s daughter told her tribe the truth, causing Calagara to run after his friend to apologize, and how the Shandians rang the golden bell, that day and every day after that to say to Norland and his crew, "Come back soon. You are always welcome here." Even the day the Knock-Up Stream shot Shandia into the sky while they rang the golden bell, causing the Skypieans to think that the island was a gift from God, and how the current God greedily wanted the land for himself, causing the 400-year war. "This… this is… a miracle!" the chief exclaimed. "How did he do this?"

"Does it matter now?" Wiper said crying. "Now our history shall forever be preserved."

"So this is the level his world`s knowledge has acquired?" Gan Fall said in amazement as he looked through the book after the Shandian Chief handed it to him. "He truly seems to be a gift sent by a real god."

**-X-**

"So you re-wrote the manga?" Robin said in surprise. "I guess that answers why you said you can recall the manga better drunk."

"Yeah, but it was only three chapters," Kakusei said modestly. "It was a challenge to recreate Oda`s drawing style, but I did it. I was also able to make a copy for the Saruyama Alliance."

"That was very sweet of you," Robin replied. "Their history is very important to them, and I`m sure Cricket-san will appreciate knowing the real story."

"I know," Kakusei said. "You know, that reminds me of a saying back in my world."

"What is it?" Robin asked.

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it," Kakusei replied in a very scholarly tone. "And I know this saying has been proven true time and time again."

"That is a very wise saying," Robin said in response. "So why aren`t you out there dancing with everyone else right now?"

"Truth be told," Kakusei replied sheepishly and holding his free hand behind his head, "I`m not much of a dancer. When it comes to formal dancing and parties, I`m kind of a background person, and I don`t really know how to dance anyway."

"I could teach you," Robin replied calmly. "Call it a thank you for teaching me so much about your world."

"Well, um," Kakusei said blushing a little, "wouldn`t it look awkward if we were standing next to each other and practicing dance steps?" At that second, the music changed tempo into a slower song.

"Well, that solves that," Robin replied indicating the change in music, "I can teach you to waltz, and be your partner for it as well," she said as people began to pair up. Kakusei flushed a bright red immediately.

"Um, okay," Kakusei said slowly standing up and walking over to the fire stiffly, still bright red all the while.

"Aren`t you forgetting something?" Robin said still sitting down as Kakusei turned around.

"I forgot something?" Kakusei said, his face returning to normal.

"Aren`t you going to do this properly?" Robin asked. Kakusei immediately realized what Robin wanted him to do, and his face flushed back to a bright red.

"Oh, right," Kakusei said correcting himself, and standing with his hands at his sides almost like a soldier. "Um, Robin, would… would you like to dance with me?" he stuttered while keeping his eyes away from Robin the entire time.

"Yes, I would," Robin replied calmly as Kakusei offered his hand to help her up. She grabbed his hand and he helped her up like a gentleman, and walked her by the hand over to the fire where all the other couples were dancing. "Now stand in front of me so we can look at each other," Robin instructed.

"Okay," Kakusei said a little calmer now. "Now what?"

"Now you take my hand like this," Robin said as she grabbed his hand and held it out, "And then you put your other hand on my back, and I put my hand on your shoulder." Kakusei did as he was told, still blushing a little.

"Would you mind leading for a little bit?" Kakusei asked. "I don`t know the steps, but once I get the hang of it, I`ll try to lead."

"Sure," Robin said smiling. "Just relax and follow my lead." She began to show him the steps slowly, and eventually they were dancing, with Robin leading.

**-X-**

**The Crew`s Point of View**

**-X-**

"Hey, has anyone seen Kakusei?" Nami asked aloud. "I wanted to talk to him about last night. He owes me for the show."

"No," Zoro replied.

"Haven`t seen him," Sanji said shrugging his shoulders.

"Nope," Chopper and Usopp replied.

"Isn`t that Kakusei over there with Robin?" Luffy pointed out with his mouth full of food.

"WHAT?" the others exclaimed as they saw Kakusei leading Robin by the hand to the bonfire.

"Robin-chwan!" Sanji said with tears running down his eyes.

"I didn` t see that coming," Zoro said calmly smiling a little bit.

"Me neither," Usopp added in.

"Now this I can use," Nami said with Beri signs in her eyes.

"What`s the big deal?" Luffy and Chopper said oblivious. "They`re just dancing."

"Robin-chwan, how could I lose you to a younger man?" Sanji said with tears streaming down his face and crouched in the fetal position.

"Oh, I love this song," Conis said showing up almost out of nowhere. "Sanji-kun, I need a dance partner. Would you like to dance with me?"

"Anything for you, my lovely Conis-chan!" Sanji said immediately perking up, and whisking Conis to the dance floor.

"Wait a minute," Usopp stated. "It looks like Robin is instructing him."

"Hey, you`re right," Nami said noticing the change. "Kakusei also seems a little nervous. He`s even blushing. Do you think that means he like Robin?"

"Who knows?" Zoro said calmly. "If you want to find out so badly, ask him yourself," he said going back to drinking.

"I`ll ask later," Nami said sweetly. "They seem so happy, it`d be a shame to ruin this."

**-X-**

**Light as a Feather**

**-X-**

"Hey, Robin," Kakusei said a little more confidently now.

"Yes?" Robin asked.

"Mind if I lead now?" Kakusei asked. "I think I`ve got the steps down."

"That`s fine," Robin replied as she let Kakusei take the lead.

Kakusei was feeling much more confident and had the steps down. It felt awkward for him to be dancing with Robin, but something was telling him it didn`t matter. For some reason, he felt much happier than he ever had. He was losing himself in the music, and he liked it. The scent of her hair, her deep blue eyes, and her grace on her feet just seemed to make him feel like he was walking on a cloud, not just on an island on a cloud.

Robin felt a little surprised that Kakusei did dance very well, even though he was dancing for the first time. She did have to admit he was a decent dancer, and the music did seem a little romantic. And for some reason, she felt like he was almost sweeping her off her feet.

The Music finally stopped, and everyone started clapping. "Why are they all clapping?" Kakusei asked.

"You did a great job leading me in the waltz," Robin commented. "Maybe they are applauding us for our dancing." Kakusei looked at the ground sheepishly and made a discovery.

"I think I know why they`re clapping," Kakusei said nervously.

"Why?" Robin asked.

"It`s because I`m floating us a foot or two above the ground," Kakusei said causing Robin to look down to the ground. "I guess I really am light on my feet. I`ll set us down," he said as he lowered himself and Robin to the ground. "I think I unconsciously flew us up in the air because I got lost in the music."

"It`s fine," Robin said smiling. "I had a fun time."

"Same here," Kakusei said smiling gently.

All of a sudden, a bunch of the younger girls screamed out "KAKUSEI-SAN! DANCE WITH US!" A crowd of young girls ran towards Kakusei fan-girl style.

"Yipes!" Kakusei said, a sweat drop appearing on his face. He sent a burst of wind to grab a rose from a bouquet that was nearby, and gave it to Robin. "I had a nice time, but I gotta run!" He bolted into the forest as the fan-girls followed him.

"Kakusei," Robin said as she looked at the rose. "You really are an enigma, aren`t you?"

"That lucky bastard," Sanji said somewhat envying him. But he had Conis, so he didn`t care.

"Damn you, Anime Law 39!" Kakusei said in his mind as he ran from the girls chasing him. He tried to weave through the forest, but with no luck, so he decided to just head back to camp.

"Oi," the band leader said as the song died down, "does anyone have a request for a certain song?" Then Kakusei showed up with the crowd of fan-girls behind him, and he ran towards the stage. He did a front flip and landed on the stage, which gave Luffy an idea.

"Hey, Kakusei," Luffy yelled at the stage, "you know a fun song from your home?"

"Hmmm," Kakusei said with a thinking look on his face, "I may have one, but Luffy, I`ll need you, Usopp and Chopper to help me out."

"Sure," Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper said as they climbed up on stage. Kakusei whispered some instructions into their ears, and they replied, "Got it."

"Alright, everyone!" Kakusei said as loud as he could. "This next song was written and performed by a group from my home called the Village People. I hope you all have as much fun with it as I do." Kakusei picked up his guitar and began strumming to the beat of the song, which the band picked up quickly. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper stood behind Kakusei in a line, and when the band had the song down, Kakusei stopped playing, and he, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper began clapping to the beat. And then Kakusei began to sing the lyrics.

_Young man, there's no need to feel down.  
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.  
I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town  
There's no need to be unhappy._

_Young man, there's a place you can go.  
I said, young man, when you're short on your dough.  
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find  
Many ways to have a good time._

_It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A.  
It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A._

_They have everything that you need to enjoy,  
You can hang out with all the boys ... _

_It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A.  
It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A. _

_You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal  
You can do whatever you feel ... _

_Young man, are you listening to me?  
I said, young man, what do you want to be?  
I said, young man, you can make real your dreams.  
But you've got to know this one thing!_

_No man does it all by himself.  
I said, young man, put your pride on the shelf,  
And just go there, to the Y.M.C.A.  
I'm sure they can help you today._

_It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A.  
It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A. _

_They have everything that you need to enjoy,  
You can hang out with all the boys ..._

_It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A.  
It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A. _

_You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal,  
You can do whatever you feel ..._

_Young man, I was once in your shoes.  
I said, I was down and out with the blues.  
I felt no man cared if I were alive.  
I felt the whole world was so jive ..._

_That's when someone came up to me,  
And said, young man, take a walk up the street.  
It's a place there called the Y.M.C.A.  
They can start you back on your way. _

_It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A.  
It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A. _

_They have everything that you need to enjoy,  
You can hang out with all the boys ..._

_YMCA  
It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A  
Young man, young man there's no need to feel down  
Young man, young man pick yourself off the ground_

_Y-M-C-A  
then just go to the Y-M-C-A  
young man, young man I was once in your shoes  
young man, young man I said, I was down and out with the blues.  
Y-M-C-A_

Kakusei repeated the song a few times, and Luffy, Usopp and Chopper followed Kakusei`s lead in dancing and did the YMCA pose every time when Y-M-C-A was said, and everyone, including Nami and Sanji, got into the dance.

When the song died down, Kakusei asked, "Does anyone wanna hear another song!" He was responded by a large roar of happiness. "Thanks for the help guys, but I don`t need your help this time," Kakusei said to Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper. "You guys can go back into the crowd."

"Alright," they replied as they jumped off stage and back into the crowd.

"Alright, this next one is a little bit spicier than the last one, so prepare for the heat!" Kakusei whipped out his guitar and started up the music, which the band picked up again, except this time he kept playing.

_She's into superstitions black cats and voodoo dolls.  
I feel a premonition that girl's gonna make me fall.  
She's into new sensations new kicks in the candle light.  
She's got a new addiction for every day and night.  
_

_She'll make you take your clothes off and go dancing in the rain.  
She'll make you live her crazy life but she'll take away your pain  
like a bullet to your brain. Come On!_

_Upside, inside out she's livin la vida loca  
She'll push and pull you down, livin la vida loca  
Her lips are devil red and her skin's the color mocha  
She will wear you out livin la vida loca Come On!  
Livin la vida loca, Come on!  
She's livin la vida loca.  
_

_Woke up in New York City in a funky cheap hotel  
She took my heart and she took my money  
she must've slipped me a sleeping pill  
She never drinks the water and makes you order French Champagne  
Once you've had a taste of her you'll never be the same  
Yeah, she'll make you go insane._

_Upside, inside out she's livin la vida loca  
She'll push and pull you down, livin la vida loca  
Her lips are devil red and her skin's the color mocha  
She will wear you out livin la vida loca Come On!  
Livin la vida loca, Come on!  
She's livin la vida loca._

_She'll make you take your clothes off and go dancing in the rain.  
She'll make you live her crazy life  
but she'll take away your pain like a bullet to your brain. Come On!_

_Upside, inside out she's livin la vida loca  
She'll push and pull you down, livin la vida loca  
Her lips are devil red and her skin's the color mocha  
She will wear you out livin la vida loca Come On!  
Livin la vida loca, Come on!  
She's livin la vida loca._

"That number was called 'Living La Vida Loca' by an artist named Ricky Martin," Kakusei said as the crowd cheered. "So who wants to hear another one?" Kakusei said causing the crowd to cheer louder. He kept the band going all night, and the crowd just wanted more.

**-X-**

While Kakusei kept playing music, Sanji, Usopp, Zoro, Nami, and Robin were discussing a few things, among them their newest member, Kakusei.

"So, Robin," Nami asked Robin while Kakusei kept the crowd going. "I have to ask. What do you think of Kakusei?"

"I take it you saw us dancing," Robin replied calmly. "I was only teaching him how to dance."

"He didn`t know how to dance?" Sanji said inquisitively. "Well, he seemed to dance pretty well on stage."

"In his defense, that dance was from his world," Robin replied. "He asked to learn some more formal dances."

"Oh, well that makes sense," Nami replied. "So are you going to answer my question?"

"Well, first," Robin replied still calm, "I want to hear what all of you think of Kakusei."

"Fine," Nami said knowing Robin would hold fast to that statement. "Well, I think Kakusei acts a lot like Luffy, but if Luffy had about twenty more years to mature." Both Robin and Nami giggled at the thought, and Sanji and Usopp had a laugh about it.

"He does love to party with us, he gets a little too focused on things at times, and he seems so amazed by this world," Usopp added in smiling, "and he`s obviously a good fighter."

"But unlike Luffy, he can be serious whenever he wants, not just when our lives are on the line, or a friend gets hurt," Sanji commented seriously. "He also is an amazing artist, something we all know Luffy isn`t."

"He also seems full of surprises, like how he deflected that lightning bolt or how he hit Enel, a logia fruit user," Zoro said after listening to the conversation.

"HE DEFLECTED LIGHTNING?" Usopp exclaimed, his eyes bugging out at the thought.

"He was able to hit Enel?" Sanji asked looking at Robin. "How`d that shitty bastard do that?"

"I honestly couldn`t tell you," Robin said calmly. "You`ll have to ask him."

"I have one more thing to say about Kakusei," Nami said with a smile on her face.

"What?" the others asked looking at her.

"He also seems to be quite the romantic," Nami said adding in a final note. "He might make some girl very happy one day."

"You think so?" Robin, Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro replied.

"Who knows?" Nami said smiling. "Anyway, I`m gonna go to bed. 'Night everyone."

"Goodnight," Robin replied.

"Goodnight, Nami," Usopp said.

"Sweet dreams, my sweet Nami-swan!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes.

"Why don`t you wake up to your bitter reality?" Zoro said snapping Sanji back to normal.

"Shut up, Marimo!" Sanji said as he started fighting with Zoro.

"Here we go again," Usopp said as Robin giggled over the situation.

**-X-**

This party was fun to write, and I hope this helps flesh out Kakusei a bit more.

Next chapter, we finally leave Skypeia, and move on to the next arc.

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	14. Chapter 14

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 14: Silver Linings and Gold Treasure**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

**One day later…**

**-X-**

"Hey, Nami! Wake everybody up," Luffy whispered to Nami.

" Huh... What?" Nami said sleepily.

"We're gonna steal the gold and take off..." Luffy whispered while holding his pointer finger to his big grin.

"What? There's gold?" Nami whispered excitedly.

" SHUT UP! DON'T TALK SO LOUD!" Luffy said yelled almost at the top of his lungs.

"That was much louder than I just was!" Nami said hitting Luffy.

"Shut up, I can't sleep!" Usopp said hitting Chopper and waking him up.

" GWEHHHHH!" was all Chopper said as he woke up in pain.

"Oh! Morning already?" Zoro said barely waking up.

" Yeah, right," Luffy yelled at Nami, "you were so much more louder than me!

"GOOD MORNING NAMI-SAN!" Sanji said enthusiastically as he woke up. "WAIT THIS ISN'T MORNING!"

"What is it?" Robin asked as she woke up.

"Probably Luffy beginning to wake up everyone around us," Kakusei said waking up almost at the same time Robin did.

"Usopp punched me!" Chopper said crying a bit.

"Those Blue Sea people sure love partying..." the onlookers said in confusion.

"...and that's the deal!" Luffy said after explaining the plan. "Make the best out of tomorrow and don`t have any regrets."

"CHIEF! We found the golden bell!" a group of Shandians said to their chief.

"What?" the chief said surprised.

"It got caught on Giant Jack...!" the Shandians said in response. "We're all pulling it up together!"

"Really?" the chief said still surprised.

"Anyone with strength, come to the eastern shore, now!" the Shandians said gathering anyone they could.

"The gold bell..." Robin said in her mind. "The Poneglyphs... stones you cannot find without great desire... I thought that I could end my search for good here..."

"One more good pull," the people said all grabbing a long rope. "Heave, HOOOO! Pull! Graahh! Heave! Damn! Still not enough hands! This is the pride of our Shandorian ancestors!We have to pull it up...! YEAH! Put your backs into it!" Just then, many of Enel`s former priests walked up more than ready to lend a helping hand, and everyone grabbed onto the rope. "ONE MORE TIME! HERE WE GO!PULL!"

Kakusei walked up towards where the Shandians were pulling up the bell. "Maybe I should give them a hand."

**-X-**

"Rubber band?" and Angel said as he held a rubber band in his hands and stretched it. "You call this a rubber band?"

"My Usopp Rubber Bands were about 90% responsible for felling the Giant Jack over there. I'm the only man in the world who has them," Usopp said sounding kind of like a salesman who needed his next paycheck. "But wait! What's more important are these metal plates! You want metal, don't you? I took them right off our ship! Let me exchange these for some Dials..."

"No, I just want the rubber bands!" the angel replied. "I'll trade you for those!"

"Me too! Can I trade?" a Shandian warrior said excitedly.

"GAHAHAHAHAHA!" Usopp laughed as he and Zoro headed towards the giant sleeping snake.

"You sound happy, Usopp. Did your trading go well?" Zoro asked.

"You bet your ass it did!" Usopp replied excitedly. "Look at all these Dials! I can do so much now! The Usopp Factory is back in business," he said playing with a few Dials. "Hey Zoro! Want me to turn that blade into a nice smelly "Flavor Sword"?"

"Nah, it's cool," Zoro said nervously at the thought of Usopp working on his swords.

"I can power-up Nami's Clima Tacts, too. And my pachinko balls are gonna be awesome..." Usopp said imagining the possibilities. "Where are Luffy and the guys? And Robin and Kakusei?

"Luffy's still inside. Robin went somewhere," Zoro said calmly. "I don`t know where the hell Kakusei is."

"Damn, that snake sure sleeps a lot," Usopp said looking at the giant sleeping snake.

"It was dancing for days... Dunno what it was so happy about, though..." Zoro said thinking a bit. "Anyways, if they don't get out soon, it'll wake up and they'll be in deep shit."

"What, this friendly snake?" Usopp said in a slightly annoying voice.

"No way! You don't know how vicious it really is," Zoro said quickly.

"What, this friendly snake?" Usopp repeated.

"...I told you, you didn't see it in action, so you don't understand how vicious it can be..." Zoro said a bit annoyed.

"What, this friendly snake?" Usopp repeated again.

"Listen to me, Usopp..." Zoro said very annoyed now.

"SURPRISE! IT WAS A TONE DIAL!" Usopp said holding a Tone Dial high in the air.

"What, this friendly..." the Dial began to repeat.

"SHUT THAT SHIT OFF!" Zoro yelled at Usopp.

"LOOK! LOOK AT ALL THIS TREASURE!" Luffy said as he got out of the snake`s mouth.

"This is real! What was that snake eating?" Sanji said as he held a golden cross.

"SEE! SEE!" Luffy said excitedly as he looked at all the gold.

"WOWWWW!" Nami said as she rubbed her cheek against a very decorated crown.

"It's so pretty! This is the same as the one at the monkeys' house!" Chopper said as he held a small golden bell.

**-X-**

"Come on!" the people said as they struggled to pull up the bell. "We can do this!"

"I guess this is a good time for me to step in and help," Kakusei said as he came up and grabbed onto the back of the rope.

"Glad you could help, ya pervert!" Wiper said.

"It`s no problem, you stubborn bastard!" Kakusei said jokingly. "All right everyone, it`s time for us to _ante up_, and it`s _all in_!" Just then, Kakusei`s body felt weird, he noticed. "What the hell?" he said in his mind. "Oh, well, time to…" he gave the rope a slight tug, which snapped the line taught, which shot the golden bell into the air, and it subsequently fell up on top of the fallen Giant Jack. This "tug" also sent everyone else pulling on the rope flying a few feet. "…pull?" Kakusei thought surprised at his newfound strength, and with a shocked look on his face. Even Robin looked a bit shocked as she saw this. After recovering from his mind blank, he realized his body now felt lighter for some reason, like he barely weighed anything.

"It's up...Wow! So this is "gold"! It's beautiful! Get it on the vearth! That spot is unstable!" the people said quickly.

"I got it," Kakusei said as he jumped over to where the bell was. He grabbed the bell with both hands, and almost effortlessly, lifted it over his head, sending a look of shock though out the entire crowd of people. "Hell, if I`m gonna be strong for now, I`m gonna use it!" he said in his mind and smiling just as big as Luffy did normally.

"He really is like Luffy," Robin said giggling at the absurdity of the situation, while Kakusei set the golden bell down.

"It fills me with pride just to look at it...!" one of the Angels said proudly. "But one of the pillars is broken off."

"Hey, look at that, there. A "Poneglyph"..." one of the Shandians pointed out. "The stone that our ancestors lost their lives and city to protect...! What could be written on it, Chief?"

"Better not to know..." the chief said calmly. "All we need do is..."

"Keep thy motives in heart with closed mouth. We are those who control history with the tolling of the golden bell," Robin said reading the text.

"How do you know... those words?" the chief said amazed at Robin.

"It was written on the ruins of Shandia," Robin said calmly as Kakusei approached her and the chief. "You were its guardians, over the ages, weren't you?"

"You mean... You can read that...?" the chief said amazed.

"An "ancient weapon" with the name of a god. "Poseidon"... and its location," Robin said calmly.

"A weapon made in the seas named after the Greek god of the sea," Kakusei said commenting, "How fitting."

"...Ancient weapon?" the warriors said amazed at what they just heard. "...Why would that be written there...?"

"Another weapon...! And different from Alabasta's "Pluton"...! It sickens me to think these destructive things are still sleeping around the world...!" Robin said in her mind. "Wrong once more," she said aloud. "This isn't what I want to know...!" she said in her mind.

"Hey, Robin!" Kakusei said as he looked at a corner in the base. "Aren`t these Ponegylphs over here?"

"Huh? "I was here, and will follow these words to their end. Gol D. Roger, Pirate" Robin read off the text Kakusei pointed out. "The Pirate King...? He was here, in Sky Island? How can he write in that language...?"

"Roger made it up here?" Kakusei said amazed. "Wow, now that`s cool."

"...it says "Roger"?" Gan Fall said asking Robin.

"Do you know him?" Robin asked.

"He was a guest here, over twenty years ago," Gan Fall said slowly. "He said he was a Blue Sea pirate. So that is the name written there?"

"...yes. I don't know how he reached the bell tower, but it's undeniable proof..."Robin said slowly as Kakusei listened eagerly. "...and there are said to be two kinds of Poneglyphs. "Stones that hold information"... and "Stones that lead to those stones"... This stone is... a "stone that holds information"..."

"That`s good to know," Kakusei said simplistically.

"I was here, and will follow these words to their end"... "Follow these words"... ...then, maybe... The Rio Poneglyph is...!" Robin said realizing something. "Chieftain, this Poneglyph has already... served its purpose."

"...purpose?" the chief said inquisitively.

"Yes... When you take all of the Poneglyphs around the world that contain information, they must form one message that can account for the "Lost Years of History." The Rio Poneglyph IS that completed message, the book that still does not yet exist," Robin said slowly. "The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger... must have arrived at the destination of this message. Which means..."

"I see... We don't have... to fight anymore...?" the chief said slowly and fighting back tears. "Yes... Our ancestors' wishes... were fulfilled...?"

"Chief! Chief!" many Shandians said in haste.

"Yes..." Robin said. "It means that I must follow the words in all the Poneglyphs I have read thus far...To the end of the Grand Line... RAFTEL!"

"By the way, girl... didn't you people want this "gold" stuff? They say it's more valuable than vearth, on the Blue Sea..." the chief said. "How about we give you the broken pillar from the bell tower? We can't give you the bell itself, but..."

"Yeah, that's a good idea!" the people said excitedly. "Besides, we never got the chance to repay you!"

"Really? They'll be delighted!" Robin said smiling.

"With a piece of gold that big, we`ll be loaded for life!" Kakusei said with great energy. "Even with Luffy`s appetite!"

"Okay then! Let's take this to their ship, everyone!" the people said as they quickly lined up. "Wrap it in a cloth! It's too hard to carry, otherwise. This is our repayment for defeating Enel! Be careful! It's heavy! This goes to the saviors of our land! It's so huge..."

"Hey let me help you guys out," Kakusei said as he ran over to the gold pillar. "It`s going to me and my friends after all."

"Girl... you know, that Straw Hat boy," Gan Fall. "He reminds me of the way Roger once was. Is that... just my imagination?"

"His name is Monkey D. Luffy," Robin replied. "I've also got quite a bit of interest in him."

"D... I see, that initial," Gan Fall said. "No wonder he seems so similar...! Hahaha..."

"Yes... I'm sure it will end up having... a great effect on history," Robin said smiling again. "I wonder if Kakusei has that initial too…"

**-X-**

"Robin and Kakusei are sure taking their time..." Zoro said as he and Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper stood in the ruins of Shandia.

"This place got empty, too. Where did all the guerillas and angels go?" Luffy asked while standing on top of a rock.

"Be thankful they're not here," Usopp commented. "If they were, they'd be chasing us around."

"Cause we're gonna take off with all this gold!" Chopper chimed in.

"Oh well. Nami and Conis and her dad are helping get the ship ready for sailing," Sanji said.

"Damn, I'm tired. Why do we have to wait for them?" Zoro said. "Whatever. I'm going onboard now."

"YOU JERK! SHUT UP!" Usopp yelled at Zoro.

"JERK!" Luffy chimed in.

"MARIMO JERK!" Sanji said angrily.

"JERK MARIMO!" Chopper said imitating Sanji.

"SHUT THE HELL UP, ALL OF YOU!" Zoro said as he, Sanji, Luffy, and Chopper began fighting.

"Jerk!" was all Luffy could insult Zoro with.

"You're lost after three steps into a forest!" Sanji said insulting Zoro. "Should we leave you behind, too?"

"Check it out, it's Robin!" Usopp said crawling out from the fight cloud. "But where`s Kakusei?"

"HEY! ROBIN! HURRY, HURRY! WE STOLE ALL THE GOLD!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Don't tell her, you dumbass!" Sanji said angrily at Luffy. "Look, everyone else is with her!"

"Boy, they all came back at once," Zoro said looking at everyone.

"Oh crap, they've got a giant cannon!" Usopp said noticing the gold pillar everyone was carrying.

"Gyaaaa! It's an entire army!" Chopper screamed overreacting.

"Get on the ship! We can't stay here any longer!" Luffy said showing Robin what he had in his sack of treasure. "Look at this haul! We're filthy RICH! This sack is stuffed with treasure!"

"Huh? Wait, they're not leaving, are they?" the people of Skypeia said. "HEY, WAIT, YOU GUYS! WAIT!"

"LOOK, THEY'RE ONTO US!" Sanji said misinterpreting their intentions.

"RUN FOR IT!" Luffy said as he turned towards the ship.

"Wait, all of you!" the Skypeians said trying to flag down the guys.

"You might demand that we wait!" Usopp said with courage unlike himself. "BUT…!"

"Yeah! You tell 'em, Usopp!" Luffy said cheering him on.

"WE'VE RISKED OUR LIVES TO COME HERE, THE LEGENDARY "CITY OF GOLD" IN THE SKY!" Usopp continued proudly. "DO YOU THINK ANY SELF-RESPECTING PIRATES LIKE US ARE GOING TO WALTZ HOME EMPTY-HANDED?"

"Robin-chwaaan! Hurry, before they catch you!" Sanji said worried for Robin.

"Hurry Kakusei!" Chopper yelled, not knowing Kakusei could hear him.

"What does he mean, catch her?" one of the Skypeians said. "We just want to thank... Hey, hold on...! Don't you want this gold?"

"Haha. I guess they don't want it," Robin said calmly and smiling.

"HUH? NO!" the Skypeians said in objection.

"I`m sure they do," Kakusei said calmly turning a few heads in his direction. "It really is a big misunderstanding."

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Luffy said with a huge smile on his face.

"WAAAAIT!" the people said trying to catch up to the rest of the Strawhat pirates.

**-X-**

"What...? They left the island?" the chief asked.

"Yes... they would not accept our thanks," a random man said.

"Oh, blast..." the chief said saddened. "Don't they understand how grateful we are to them...?"

"Pie," Pierre said sadly.

"Indeed. Quite irresponsible of them..." Gan Fall said sadly as well. "…even though Kakusei-kun took the pillar. He said he`d take care of it."

**-X-**

"That wasn't nice, Aisa..." Laki said scolding Aisa a bit while cutting her hair. "Everyone's upset. "Our saviors have slipped away...

"Heheheh!" Aisa said giggling.

"It's not fair if only one person gets to say goodbye," Laki said again scolding Aisa.

"But they told me not to tell anyone," Aisa said giving her reasons. "There sure are some strong warriors on the Blue Sea! I wanna be like that, too. Make my body stretch out really long like that."

"Let's take things one at a time, Aisa," Laki said smiling. "First let your HAIR grow out long... it'll look nice."

"...huh?" Aisa said confused.

"Girls have to look pretty," Laki said simply.

"Pretty? Me?" Aisa said trying to imagine herself as pretty.

"You won't have... to use weapons anymore..." Laki said slowly.

"You're being nice today, Laki," Aisa said happily. "Heehee!"

"Stop moving, Aisa..." Laki said while trying not to mess up Aisa hair.

**-X-**

"Great Warrior Calgara... Shandia's duty... has been fulfilled..." Wiper said while he and a few other Shandia warriors were looking at the statue of Calgara. "Your wish has been delivered to your friend. It will not cause bloodshed in the generations to come... The fight is over... But we have not lost our pride...! So I hope you will continue to guide us... I SWEAR THAT THE FLAME OF SHANDORA WILL NEVER BE EXTINGUISHED AGAIN!"

**-X-**

"I am the Sky Knight! A free mercenary!" Gan Fall said loudly. "You are the most suitable, Chieftain. This city was originally yours, in the past."

"Don't act this way, now... That's not a valid reason," the Shandian chief said in reply. "This war has taught ALL of us a lesson... That no one can claim the Vearth. We are a tribe of warriors... we are not fit to lead a nation. "GODS"... are our support. The name of the country is "Skypiea," the name of the city, "Shandora." The only person... that can unite the two is the one who has felt the pain of this war the longest. You. You are the best candidate! You, Gan Fall, the Sky Knight! Take the title of "God" once more...! We want you to be the support of our deeply wounded country."

"We want you, too! Gan Fall-sama!" the former priests and the White Berets said confidently.

"We're down with you!" the Shandian warriors said just as confidently. Yeah! Gan Fall!"

"Your Holiness!" the Angels said as loudly as the others. "Please, come back!"

"And I thought I would be able to enjoy my pumpkin patch in peace..." Gan Fall said a bit happy.

**-X-**

**At the White Sea…**

"GOLD! GOLD! GOLD! WE FINALLY GOT GOLD!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper chanted.

"We`re super rich! What should we buy?" Luffy asked. "How 'bout we buy a GI-NORMOUS STATUE? So cool!"

"No way man, that's crazy!" Usopp said just as loud as Luffy. "We should buy cannons! Ten more cannons!"

"Nami-san! I want a refrigerator with a lock!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes.

"Hey! Hey! I wanna buy books!" Chopper said excitedly. "I want to read medical books from other countries."

"RUM," was all Zoro said.

"Now, wait a minute, all of you! We'll divide up the treasure after we get down to the surface!" Nami said sternly. "If you start buying whatever you want, it'll hurt us instead of help us..."

"Pweeth buy bookf," Chopper said while Nami was squeezing his cheeks in.

"Hey, has anyone seen Kakusei?" Nami asked, as everyone stopped arguing to think a bit.

"Not really," Usopp said.

"Nope," Luffy and Chopper said simultaneously.

"Haven`t seen him since this morning," Zoro said calmly.

"Where`d that shitty bastard go?" Sanji asked while lighting a cigarette.

"Who`re you callin` a shitty bastard?" Kakusei asked as he teleported onto the ship, while carrying a few briefcases, all with number pad locks built into them.

"Kakusei!" everyone but Zoro said at once.

"Where the hell were you?" Nami asked angrily. "We could have really used your help carrying all this treasure."

"Sorry, but I was taking care of some errands," Kakusei said holding up one of the briefcases. "I gathered up the remnants of that gold ball Luffy had on his arm and cashed it in back at Jaya. It was worth about 100,000,000 Beri." Nami`s eyes switched to Beri signs in a split second.

"100,000,000 Beri? And you`re giving it to me?" Nami said sweetly as she hugged Kakusei and put one hand on the briefcase he was holding. "Wait," she said as she snapped back to normal, "you didn`t use some of that 100,000,000 to buy these briefcases, DID YOU?"

"No, I didn`t," Kakusei setting her straight. "I knew you`d be ticked it I did, so I use some extra cash of my own." He punched in the code for the lock so quickly, no one could tell the combination, and opened the briefcase, showcasing the money. "If you want to check, go right ahead." In a split second, Nami grabbed the briefcase from Kakusei`s hands, and began counting the Beri, with the Beri signs in her eyes again. "Wow, she`s fast when it comes to money."

"No shit," the others said sarcastically.

"It`s all here!" Nami said excitedly. "Thank you very much, Kakusei!" she said as she hugged him, causing Sanji to have his heart broken for the umpteenth time. "But why did you cash it now?"

"Well, we might need to stop for supplies, right?" Kakusei said. "If the next island we stop at has a town, but no bank, we`d have to use what Nami has saved up to buy supplies."

"Wow, I hadn`t thought of that," Sanji said understanding Kakusei`s thinking, and snapping back to normal.

"Plus I had to drop something off at Cricket`s house," Kakusei said.

"What?" everyone asked.

"LOOK UP AHEAD, EVERYONE! Conis said calling them.

"I guess I`ll have to tell you later," Kakusei said as he ran to see what Conis was pointing to.

" YOU CAN SEE IT," Pagaya said calmly and almost in awe. "CLOUD END"!

" Cool!" Kakusei and Luffy said at the same time.

"So we can get down that way?" Kakusei asked.

"Awwwww." Luffy said dejectedly. "We have to leave..."

"Now that we're finally going... It does kinda hurt to leave," Sanji said.

"Goodbye, solid white sea," Zoro said calmly.

"Sky Island was fun. And scary," Chopper said hanging on the side of the rail.

"So when we go through that gate, it's just a Milky Road all the way down to the Blue Sea, right?" Kakusei asked.

"I wonder if we'll ever come back...!" Usopp asked.

"This is it…" Luffy said.

"Okay, everyone! This is as far as we can go!" Pagaya said.

"Take care, everyone!" Conis said as she and her father ran along the shore in pace with the Going Merry.

"Thanks for coming with us!" Nami said waving goodbye.

"Thanks for everything!" Usopp said.

"Take care of yourself, Conis-chan!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes.

"Bye, Conis! Bye, Mister! Bye, white thing!" Luffy said.

"Excuse me!" Pagaya said rather hastily "Quickly, raise your sails and hold on tight!"

"Hey, he's right!" Usopp said quickly in response. "Sounds like we're gonna be goin' fast!"

"It's a 7000 meter ride down! Hurry!" Luffy said.

"RIGHT!" the others said quickly as they did what was asked.

"Take the gold into the cabin!" Sanji ordered as he and Kakusei grabbed the gold and took it inside.

"JOHHHHHHH! Johhh johhh johhh!" the South Bird as he flew quickly to get back to the ship.

"Huh?" exclaimed most of the crew.

"GYAAAAA! What's that?" Usopp said fearfully ash the South Bird slammed Luffy into the deck.

"He says, "Don't forget me."," Chopper translated.

"Joh johh joh johhh!" the South bird said.

"Oh... the South Bird we brought with us into the sky!" Nami said realizing what was going on. "Okay, Captain... The log to the next island is set!"

"Oh yeah! Once we get down, a new adventure is going to start!" Luffy said, riling the others on. "OKAY, CREW... WE'RE GOIN' BACK... TO THE BLUE SEA!"

"Yeaaah!" the others yelled in response.

"Be careful of the fall, everyone!" Conis said worriedly.

"Did she say fall?" Kakusei asked, as cartoon physics began working. Just as the crew realized they weren`t on land or sea anymore, they began to fall, and somehow, their eyes popped out of their head and fell second to their bodies, including Merry`s eyes.

"Good luck!" Conis and Pagaya said as the Strawhat Pirates fell.

"Here we go!" Conis said as she pulled out a whistle. "Sky Island species, "Octopus Balloon"!" She blew the whistle and then a giant octopus came out and latched onto the ship.

"Gyaaaa! An octopus!" Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Kakusei yelled in fear.

"Why you..." Zoro said readying his swords.

"AAH! Ooof!" the crew said as they hit the deck of the ship.

"What the..." Luffy said as he was the first to check out the situation. "Hey, check it out! Cool!"

"HUH?" the rest of the crew exclaimed.

"We're slowing down..." Robin said calmly.

"Whoaaaa, COOOOOOL!" Chopper said in awe.

"It's a balloon!" Luffy said in awe as well.

"It`s more like a parachute!" Kakusei said as he looked over the rail.

"What the hell?" Zoro said confused a bit.

"I... I thought I was going back to heaven for a second..." Usopp said recovering from his scare.

Just then, the golden bell began to ring, causing everyone present to look up towards Skypeia, and smile.

"RING IT! SEND THE SOUND TO THE PEOPLE WHO SAVED OUR LAND!" the people of Shanida and Skypeia said enthusiastically. "RETURN HOME SAFELY!"

"Luffy! See you again!" Aisa said holding her hat and yelling as loud as she could.

"Come back soon! THANK YOU!" several people yelled as loud as Aisa was.

" Uhahaha! This is great..." Luffy said happily.

"Ahhh, this feels nice..." Nami said as they floated down.

"What a way to end this chapter of our adventures, huh?" Kakusei asked Chopper.

"Yeah," Chopper said smiling.

**-X-**

So that`s it. We`re done with Skypeia!

Next chapter, we`ll tie up some loose ends and then start a new arc!

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	15. Chapter 15

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 15: Money and Memories**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

"Searches are halted...?" the two monkey-like brothers, Masira and Shoujou, asked Cricket.

"Of course..." Cricket replied. "The City of Gold was in the sky... There's nothin' down at the bottom of the sea... that's it."

"Pops...!" Shoujou and Masira replied.

"Thanks for everything, boys," Cricket said as he continued to look through the book of drawings Kakusei gave him. "Thanks for spending these years of your lives together with me. Kakusei even gave me a written archive of what really happened to my ancestor here, so there`s no need for me to look for any more of that city."

"This can't be... goodbye?" Masira and Shoujou asked aloud and crying.

"So tell me..." Cricket asked them as he closed the makeshift book Kakusei had given him. "What kind of passion shall we pursue next?"

"Woh-hohhh!" Shoujou exclaimed happily.

"Ook ook!" Masira cried out.

"We'd follow you anywhere, Pops!" the two brothers told Cricket full of pride and happiness.

**-X-**

"Gwaah!" Kakusei said as the Going Merry hit the water, and the waves spilt onto the deck of the ship.

"Yowwwww!" Usopp yelled in pain as he hit his head on the deck.

"Uwaaaaaah!" Chopper said as waves splashed him.

"Brr, cold!" Luffy said as the shock of the waves ran through his body.

"Bwaah!" Zoro said as he recovered quickly from hitting the deck.

"Nami-san, Robin-chan! Are you okay?" Sanji asked with hearts in his eyes.

"MBFF! Glerk!" was all Luffy could get out as the now shrunken Octopus Balloon latched onto his face.

"Hahh... hahh... I sure didn't expect the octopus to start shrinking...!" Nami said breathing heavily.

"What happened?" Zoro asked.

"I suppose the air leaked out..." Robin said calmly as she caught her breath.

"How did that happen then?" Kakusei asked. "Did a seagull peck the octopus?"

"Hahh... still... We landed... without dying..." Luffy said happily. "Thanks... buddy...!"

"The water's... so blue..." Usopp commented.

"Everyone all right?" Kakusei asked as he looked over his friends.

"Hmph... We sure visited... a wild place," Sanji said as he tried to light his cigarette to get his nicotine fix.

"Now that we're back down, it seems so far away again..." Robin said looking at the sky.

"I feel like I was dreaming..." Nami said dreamily as she looked at the sky as well.

"It was the land of dreams..." Chopper said as he too looked at the sky. "I wonder if we'll go there again."

"You will when you die," Zoro said smugly. "Or close to it."

"Are you confident you're going to heaven, Zoro?" Usopp asked Zoro.

"I`m sure the good we`ve all done outweighs the evils," Kakusei said as he also looked towards the sky.

"Okay... LET DOWN THE SAILS!" Luffy said loudly. "WE'RE GOIN' TO THE NEXT ISLAND!"

"Wait a minute, Luffy, give us a break, would ya?" Usopp said a bit tired.

"I don't think so! Nobody would have trouble sailing if it was that easy, hmm?" Nami asked a bit cutely. "The waves look weird."

"Oh, come on," Usopp said commenting on Sanji falling for Nami yet again.

"Up and at 'em, boys! Rudder to port!" Nami said looking behind the Merry. "See it now?"

"WAAAAAAAAAAA!" Chopper screamed as he found what Nami was talking about.

"FULL SPEED AHEAD!" Usopp said fearfully.

"IT`S A TSUNAMI!" Kakusei yelled as he grabbed the ropes connected to the sails.

"Look, there's something in it!" Zoro pointed out.

"Sea monkeys!" Luffy said excitedly.

"Friends of yours, Luffy?" Kakusei said jokingly, making everybody but Luffy laugh, and causing Luffy to start a fight with Kakusei.

**-X-**

**Later…**

**-X-**

"Seems to have calmed down," Kakusei said a bit tired.

"You can't let your guard down here..." Zoro said to him calmly.

"Goeff! Glurg!" Was all Luffy could get out as Usopp helped him out of the water.

"Over the rail," Usopp said as he pulled Luffy over the rail of the Merry.

"See? I told you that you couldn't do it," Sanji said laughing at the situation. "Hahaha!"

"I couldn't do it in the sky..." Luffy said tired, "but I thought maybe, here..."

"DOCTOR!" Chopper yelled at the top of his lungs. "Aah! I`m the doctor!"

"So Nami's still the only one who can ride it," Usopp said as he watched Nami take the Waiver for a spin.

"Nami-swaaaan! Be careful!" Sanji said lovingly as he watched Nami drive the Waiver through the sea.

"This is great!" Nami said as she rode the Waiver across the surface of the sea. "I can still use it in the Blue Sea!"

"Oi, Nami, can I give it a shot?" Kakusei asked loud enough for Nami to hear him.

"You`ll have to pay me!" Nami said happily.

"I`ll just wait till later then," Kakusei said as he grabbed two ropes and jumped down the side of the ship.

"Pull it up for me, Chopper," Nami said as Chopper pulled on the rope Kakusei had connected to the Waiver.

"That's so cool, Nami," Chopper said as he pulled it up.

"Kakusei, you better not put a scratch on the Waiver," Nami said as she leaned over the railing, looking down at Kakusei, who was holding up the bottom of the Waiver and climbing the other rope he had dropped earlier.

"I know, I know," Kakusei said as he neared the railing.

"Only the "Milky Dial" doesn't seem to work," Usopp said as he worked on the Dials he had gotten.

"It seems that being able to form clouds that way was a central focus for people up there..." Robin said calmly.

"It's not that bad, the other kinds are still worth a lot..." Zoro said just as calm as he ate some breadsticks.

"Hey! Bread Sticks! Sanji! Get me some too!" Luffy said as he noticed Zoro eating.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!" Nami said as she laid out the treasure they had "stolen". "The pirate booty is split between all members! It's only fair, seeing how much gold there is!"

"Yahooo!" Usopp said as he whistled loudly.

"Finally! I'm gonna buy a statue!" Luffy said loudly.

"Can I buy books?" Chopper asked excitedly.

"New pot and frying pan..." Sanji said as he put on a pair of glasses and went down a list, "… new dishes and one giant mousetrap..."

"All I can drink," Zoro said bluntly.

"I might have to get some training equipment," Kakusei said realizing what he may need to get.

"First, 80% goes to my savings," Nami said as she slid away a good pile of treasure.

"Hold on a second...!" all the guys in the crew said worriedly.

"Just kidding..." Nami said smiling at her joke.

"YOU BETTER BE!" the guys yelled in unison.

"Who would take THAT MUCH for their own savings?" Usopp yelled loudly.

"Our ship? The Merry?" Luffy asked.

"Yes," Nami replied. "It's falling apart."

"That`s true…" Luffy replied calmly. "TIME FOR A GOING MERRY SUPER UPGRADE!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Approvedl!" the rest of the crew yelled.

"And we don't know how much that's going to cost, so we'll have to put off the money-dividing for now," Nami said.

"Yeah, I guess there's only so much Usopp's crappy patchwork repair can do," Zoro said while munching on a sandwich.

"Hey, I'm just our sniper!" Usopp said defending himself.

"Yeah..." Sanji said for once agreeing with Zoro. "We should go to a real shipbuilding dock, and get an actual shipwright to repair it..."

"Ah!" Luffy exclaimed as he drank his hot tea.

"Wow... there are people even better at fixing things than Usopp?" Chopper asked innocently.

"Well, yeah, it`s their job," Kakusei replied answering Chopper`s question. "A shipwright is a person who not only has the ability to build a ship, but knows how to take care of any problems that may arise that can be fixed."

"Come to think of it, this ship`s been taking us on this entire journey ever since my village back in East Blue, without any major repairs," Usopp said as he munched on a sandwich and held his tea in his other hand. "We gotta fix it up sometime, or we'll sink before we know it."

"Okay, then," Luffy said standing up. "LET'S GET A "SHIPWRIGHT" ON THE CREW! We've still got a while to go, and we'll need his help. The Merry is our home! And our life! Let's look for a shipwright who will protect our vessel!"

"Did he just...?" Sanji asked in awe of Luffy`s speech.

"He just said something smart..." Zoro said amazed at Luffy`s speech as well.

"Hey, even a blind pig finds a truffle once in a while," Kakusei said smiling.

"What`s that supposed to mean?" Luffy said glaring at Kakusei as the others laughed at his joke.

"That's our best choice!" Usopp said confidently.

"Let's go!" Chopper said excited.

"Set course!" Nami said optimistically.

"I hope we find a good one!" Sanji said also optimistic.

"And so, a new chapter in our adventure unfolds," Kakusei said looking at the horizon.

"Oh, we can`t forget to get a "musician" too!" Luffy said back to his normal level of focus.

"Give it a rest, already," Zoro said a bit sullen.

"Come on!" Luffy said whining a bit.

**-X-**

**At Marine Headquarters…**

**-X-**

" ...Vice Admiral! He... he's not here!" several officers began to worry at the news one officer brought them. "I'm not settling for that! Where the hell did he go? His bicycle is gone, so... probably to sea. Tell the Gorousei at once!"

"...him again? Well, it's probably only reconnaissance," one of the Gorousei said in light of the situation.

"Honestly, what does he consider his own position to be...?" a second of the Gorousei said in response. "He can't just act on the spot like that. The Marine Headquarters' Strongest, "Admiral" Aokiji..."

"...sigh... It seems that family is full of trouble…" a tall man on a bicycle said as he rode on a small road of ice over the sea, as he was looking at Luffy`s wanted poster.

**-X-**

**A Few Days Later…**

**-X-**

"Hey, has anyone seen Kakusei today?" Nami asked on a clear calm day. "I still need to talk to him."

"Haven`t seen him since breakfast," Sanji replied.

"Nope," Luffy said as he sat on the Merry`s head.

"He asked to borrow a few of my things and my notes as well," Chopper said.

"He asked if he could use a few of my chemicals and my workshop for a bit," Usopp commented in response to Chopper`s answer.

"He went into the lounge last I saw him," Robin replied calmly.

"Well, whatever he`s doing," Zoro said calmly as he lifted his weights, "I`m sure it`s…" **KRACKA-BOOOOOM! **"…SAFE?" The explosion that originated from the lounge where Kakusei was rocked the Merry, and sent everyone into a bit of shock over what just happened.

"Is everyone alright?" Luffy asked as he hung from the Merry`s figurehead above the water.

"I think so," Zoro said coughing a bit as smoke poured out from the windows of the back room.

"Oh crap, Kakusei was in the lounge!" Usopp said shifting everyone`s attention to the back room.

"WE NEED A DOCTOR!" Chopper yelled as he ran around in a circle worrying himself sick. "WAIT, I`M THE DOCTOR!"

"That shitty asshole better not have wrecked my kitchen," Sanji said as he ran for the door.

"Oh, no!" Nami screamed realizing more consequences, "I HADN`T MOVED THE GOLD YET! WE NEED THAT MONEY TO FIX THIS SHIP!"

Just then, the door slammed open and hit Sanji in the face, and Kakusei walked out, covered completely in soot, smoke pouring out behind him, and holding a stack of what looked to be cream-colored pieces of paper with a red border, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "I DID IT!" Sanji fell to the deck with a **THUD** and Kakusei closed the door behind him, and looked at Sanji. "Hey, Sanji, what`s up? It`s not like you to take a nap. I`d expect that more from Zoro."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Nami, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji yelled Kakusei angrily.

"You better not have damaged the treasure!" Nami said as she ran past Kakusei to check on the treasure, and punched him in the head on her way.

"OW!" Kakusei said as he clutched his head with his free hand. "Sometimes I think she hits harder than the guys we fight…"

"It`s true," the guys agreed.

"It`s a good thing I covered anything important in cloth before I started experimenting," Kakusei said as he dusted himself off a bit, and Sanji headed into the lounge to check on the appliances.

"You`re lucky that the treasure wasn`t hurt," Nami said glaring at Kakusei, sending shivers down Kakusei`s spine.

"So what are those papers?" Sanji asked as he walked out of the back room.

"I was able to replicate something from another world," Kaksei said with a huge Luffy-like grin on his face.

"WHAT?" everyone exclaimed, save for the calm and collected Robin, shocked at this development.

"This is no ordinary paper," Kakusei said confidently as he held up the paper cards. "This is a special paper which when infused with Ki, can determine a person`s natural elemental Ki affinity."

"Really?" Luffy said. "That`s so COOL!"

"So do they explode normally?" Zoro asked his interest piqued a bit.

"No, but the kind I made have a similar effect for a good reason," Kakusei said holding up his index finger in front of his face. "The ones I made can also determine whether or not a person has Haki too."

"Haki?" the crew asked in unison and all but Robin tilting their heads at Kakusei.

"Haki is a force from this world that most people have within them, but haven`t awoken," Kakusei began explaining. "And Haki is the power that let me hit Enel."

"WHAT?" the others said in shock.

"Wait a minute," Sanji interjected. "If Kakusei isn`t from this world, how does he have this Haki if it`s from our world?"

"I`ve been wondering that myself," Kakusei said nodding his head, "but as the saying goes, never look a gift horse in the mouth. I do remember though that Haki was introduced later in the manga, but I can`t remember where or any exact details, so that doesn`t help much. But still, now that I have these, I can train anyone who wants to in Ki control, element control, and possibly Haki, once I figure out a method of training Haki."

"That sounds like it`d come in handy," Zoro said looking slyly at Kakusei. "Sign me up."

"Me too!" Luffy said grinning widely.

"Me too, me too!" Chopper said excitedly.

"If it helps me protect Nami-san and Robin-chan, I`ll sign up too," Sanji said heroically, yet calmly.

"I`m good," Usopp said holding his hand in front of his face like he was miming "stop". "Besides, I`ve got a lot of work to do in Usopp`s Factory."

"I`m out," Nami said almost immediately after Usopp`s answer. "If you all are going to be training, someone needs to guard the treasure."

"And you Robin?" Kakusei asked the only member of the crew who hadn`t answered yet.

"I`m flattered you`d offer, but I`ll be fine," Robin calmly replied.

"Alright then," Kakusei said staunchly. "Nami, do you have any idea where the nearest island is?"

"Actually, there`s an uninhabited island, not that far from here," Nami said as she pulled a map out of her cleavage.

"Thank you Anime Rule 37," Kakusei said in his mind.

"Looks like we`ll be stopping there on our course anyway," Nami said smiling, "and with this good weather, we`ll be there tomorrow!"

"Perfect," Kakusei said smiling. "Then it`s settled. Tomorrow, we begin Ki training!" Everyone else yelled in approval.

"I`m finally gonna be able to fire a beam!" Luffy yelled loudly as he punched the air.

"Should`ve seen that coming," Kakusei said nervously as he face palmed himself as everyone else laughed.

**-X-**

**Later that Night…**

**-X-**

"So tomorrow, we start training," Kakusei mused as he leaned over the rail and looked at the night sky. "Well, before I do anything else tonight, I better move some of my funds around. But first I need a snack." Kakusei walked towards the door of the lounge. He opened it, and, as he got a nosebleed, was shocked to see Nami in her underwear hanging some of her clothes on a laundry line.

Nami turned around, and flushed immediately, screaming, "YOU PERV!" She chucked a bucket at Kakusei and hit him right on the head, sending him backwards and out the door. "I guess we`ll have that talk I wanted in a minute," Nami said a bit angry and still blushing a bit over what happened.

**-X-**

In his sleep, Sanji kept tossing and turning. He was having a dream about Nami revealing her body to Kakusei for free. "Why do I feel like this is happening right now?" Sanji asked himself in his dream.

**-X-**

"So, how much do I owe you then?" Kakusei asked with a giant swollen lump of flesh protruding from his head. Nami had also gotten dressed in some less revealing clothes, but she still looked like she was about to go to sleep.

"Well, you owe me not only for that little peep show, but also for the one you gave everyone a few days ago back in Skypeia!" Nami said almost scolding Kakusei. "You also owe me for when you grabbed my butt when you were getting us down from that cloud after Luffy beat Enel, and for seeing all my lingerie just now."

"Oh come on!" Kakusei objected. "I at least said I was sorry for grabbing your butt!"

"That`s not the point!" Nami yelled at Kakusei as she punched him again. "Well, anyway, with all that added up, you owe me 210,000 Beri for the show in Skypeia, 250,000 Beri for today`s mishaps, and I`m gonna be nice and cut the Beri you owe me for goosing me down to 340,000 Beri."

"I`m at least glad you didn`t charge me full price for the goosing," Kakusei said with a sweat drop appearing on the back of his head. "I guess she charges more for actually touching her body," Kakusei said in his mind as he got up. "So I need to pay 800,000 Beri huh? Alright, I`ll be right back."

"What`s he gonna do, go rob a bank?" Nami asked herself in her mind. Kakusei came back carrying several of his briefcases. "Aren`t those empty?" Nami asked.

"Nope," Kakusei replied as he opened one of them with Nami`s tattoo watermarked into the handle. Inside, there was just as much Beri as there was in the first briefcase he had handed Nami, if not more!

"Where did all this come from?" Nami exclaimed as her eyes changed to Beri signs.

"You heard about the locals having a giant cannon right?" Kakusei asked, building up tension.

"Yeah?" Nami asked wondering where this was going.

"Well, it wasn`t a cannon," Kakusei clarified. "The Skypeians were going to give us a solid gold pillar that had broken off from the Gold Bell as a token of their thanks for saving them."

"What?" Nami said shocked at this story. "And why the hell didn`t you bring it to us?" she said as she pinched Kakusei`s cheek and pulled hard.

"OW! Easy, easy, I`m not a rubber-man remember?" Kakusei said as he rubbed his sore cheek. "I didn`t bring it to the ship cause the pillar would have sunk the ship had we tried to carry it onboard or if we had tried to tow it."

"It was that big?" Nami said almost drooling at how much money that much gold would have been worth. "Wait, are all of those briefcases filled with money?"

"Yes," Kakusei said as Nami swiftly began pounding him onto a bloody pulp.

"YOU ASSHOLE! WHY THE HELL WERE YOU HIDING ALL THIS MONEY FROM US? YOU`RE EVEN GREEDIER THAN I AM, AND THAT`S SAYING SOMETHING!" Nami said with seething anger and somehow, flames rising from behind her.

"I didn`t hide it," Kakusei said weakly in his defense, "I put the briefcases in the storage room. And you never let me explain how much the pillar was worth, or how I divided the money up."

"Wait, you divided it up?" Nami said gaining her sanity back. "Well, how much was the pillar worth?"

"The pillar itself was worth about Two Billion Beri…," Kakusei began saying before Nami punched him again. "OW! Let me finish, Nami!"

"Sorry, reflex," Nami said trying to hold herself back.

"As I was saying, the pillar was worth about two billion beri," Kakusei began again. "I divided up the money from that into the briefcases according to what I thought might be needed in the future. I put about 500,000,000 away in case we needed anything like emergency supplies or in case of another emergency. That`s in the case with the cross watermarked on it. I put another 500,000,000 away, in case something like this happened and one of us had to pay you back. That was in the case I just opened, the one with your tattoo watermarked on it."

"That was quite insightful," Nami thought to herself as she realized Kakusei had forseen himself getting in a situation like this. "So what about the rest?" Nami asked Kakusei.

"Well, I put about another 500,000,000 away in case Luffy did something stupid, like clear out an all-you can eat buffet and leaves one of us with the bill, or break a building and then the owners or city hold us for collateral damage. That case is watermarked with our pirate flag logo."

"That`s actually a pretty good idea," Nami said nervously as she remembered Luffy`s appetite and destructive tendencies.

"The last briefcase is watermarked with a candle, and that 399,900,000 Beri is for parties or birthday and holiday presents, you know, in case someone`s birthday comes up, and you know we love to party here," Kakusei said smiling a bit at the thought of the good times they had so far. "The briefcases cost 20,000,000 Beri each, but it was worth it so we can keep the money safe, and out of Luffy`s hands. The rest was a finder`s fee."

"That`s true," Nami said smiling at Kakusei. "Wait a minute," she said as she whipped out a piece of paper and a pencil and added up the numbers in a few seconds. "You mean, you only kept 100,000 Beri to yourself, and you gave the rest to us?"

"Well, yeah," Kakusei said nonchalantly, as Nami looked in a bit of shock and awe at Kakusei`s kindness. "If I ever get back to my world, there is no currency exchange rate for Beri, so it`s worthless back home, and besides, you guys definitely need the money more than I do." Kakusei gave a big grin and closed his eyes as he tilted his head towards the night sky. "Especially with Luffy as a captain."

"Kakusei, I want to apologize for earlier when I called you greedy," Nami said sweetly after a short pause. "I should have let you say your side of the story first, and I should have known that you wouldn`t have been stupid with the money like Luffy or Usopp."

"No, it`s fine," Kakusei said waving his hand with a modest look on his face. "You`re basically this crew`s accountant, and you were just making sure everything runs smoothly."

"Well, if you wouldn`t mind, could you help me manage the money here?" Nami asked still sweetly. "I could use a hand, and you seem quite good at it."

"Thanks," Kakusei said blushing a bit. "My dad said I got that from my grandpa. By the way, I was going to move some of the money around so that we have a bit more money to repair the Merry. Want to help?"

"Sure," Nami replied as Kakusei began opening some of the briefcases. "So I have to ask," Nami said slowly after they had finished moving some of the money around, "what was with you and Robin dancing the other night?"

"I should have known someone was going to ask about that sooner or later," Kakusei said laughing. "I just figured Sanji would ask first."

"Well, we already asked Robin, but she only told us she was teaching you," Nami replied laughing a bit.

"She _was_ teaching me," Kakusei said looking Nami in the eyes. "I didn`t really know how to formally dance, so she taught me as a favor."

"Well, that makes sense," Nami replied. "So how do you like being on this crew so far?"

"I love being on this crew!" Kakusei said confidently and full of vigor. "I`m doing what most One Piece, hell, all anime and manga fans can only dream about doing right now! I`m living out the adventures I always read, with some of the characters I love the most. Right now, my only regret is that I didn`t get here sooner, so I could see the whole story as I know it unfold."

"I kinda wish that too," Nami said smiling. "It would have made our journey a bit easier."

"I really would have liked to sock Arlong in the jaw once or twice," Kakusei said clenching his fist in front of his face. "Oh, I`m sorry, is it alright if I talk about Arlong?"

"Only if you talk about him like that," Nami said giggling a bit. "So how would you have fought him?"

"Who knows?" Kakusei replied. "It`s not like I can change the past anyway. But all I know is that someone would have kicked Arlong`s slimy ass one way or another. He had it coming."

"What else would you have liked to do?" Nami asked.

"I would have loved to help Vivi out and meet her," Kakusei replied. "And it would have been a plus to help in the fight against Baroque Works."

"You really love fighting, don`t you?" Nami asked sarcastically.

"I don`t know why," Kakusei said looking at the stars, "but I think before I left my world, I suddenly gained this urge to learn to martial arts, and use those skills I learned to fight."

"That`s a bit weird, but it was nice talking to you Kakusei," Nami said as she stood up. "I`m gonna go gather up my clothes and go to bed. I`m sure my clothes are dry by now."

"Alright, good night Nami," Kakusei said as he stood up as well.

"Good night Kakusei," Nami said as she gave him a peck on the cheek. "See you in the morning," she said sweetly as she closed the door behind her. Kakusei blushed a bit as he tried to process with his now scattered mind what just happened, and if that sweet girl that just kissed him good night on the cheek was really the Nami he knew, or if she was working some sort of angle.

**-X-**

Sanji awoke from his sleep in a cold sweat. "Nami-san, am I losing you to Kakusei too?" He shook his head, tired and trying to calm himself, said, "No, it`s just a bad dream, Sanji, it`s just a bad dream…"

**-X-**

So, now we`ve moved on from the City of Gold, and did a bit character bonding as well.

Next chapter, we`ll start up the part you`ve all been waiting for, Ki training!

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	16. Chapter 16

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 16: Ki Control 101**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

**The Next Morning…**

**-X-**

"So are you guys ready to enroll in Kakusei`s School of Ki Control?" Kakusei said loudly as he stood in a very heroic position as he stood on top of a large rock.

"Why`d we have to get up so early?" Luffy asked yawning. Luffy was yawning and rubbing his eyes, Sanji was lighting a new cigarette to wake up, Chopper had fallen to the ground asleep, and Zoro had just fallen asleep standing up.

"Nami said we only have a few days here before the Log Pose changes, so we have to get in as much training as possible," Kakusei answered. "And I`d rather not train on the ship, because we`re gonna be destroying a lot of stuff. Do _you _want to be the ones to pay Nami for destroying the Merry any further?" All the guys snapped to attention and began shivering in fear of Nami`s wrath.

"No sir!" they all replied in unison.

"Good, then let`s get started," Kakusei said as he led them to a clearing."Now, if you guys wanna learn to control Ki, the first thing we gotta do is be able to summon your Ki from your bodies. This simple exercise will help you guys to just that. All I`m gonna have you do, is make a ball of Ki in between your hands."

"Really?" Luffy asked. "That`s it?"

"That`s easy!" Chopper said happily.

"It`s that simple?" Sanji said as he took a drag on his cigarette. "That doesn`t seem that hard."

"Well if it were that simple, everyone could use Ki," Zoro said irking Sanji.

"Before the two of you start arguing, put that hatred of each other to your training," Kakusei said. "This method is pretty simple, but it takes will and focus to complete properly. Zoro is probably the closest one out of your four to being able to do this already."

"What?" Luffy, Sanji, and Chopper exclaimed looking at Zoro.

"Why do you think that?" Zoro asked calmly.

"Two reasons," Kakusei said as he held up two fingers. "Your Tatsumaki and Pound Cannon techniques. The Tatsumaki in and of itself has a lot of grounds in Ki, as most people wouldn`t be able to create a tornado which can cut someone while the blades only touch the same someone for a brief time. Your Pound Cannon techniques perfectly demonstrate the flow of Ki as a far-ranged attack as well. So you guys ready to begin?"

"Yes," Sanji, Zoro, Luffy, and Chopper replied.

Kakusei sat down and crossed his legs, and the others followed. "If you want to form a ball of Ki, like this," he said as he held his hand up about a foot apart and created a ball of Ki, "then you have to be able to concentrate on what you want to happen. Close your eyes and imagine all the energy in your body flowing into the space between your hands, creating a ball of warm light." There was a short pause while everyone concentrated.

"I can feel it!" Luffy said as he held his eyes closed, breaking the silence.

"So can I!" Chopper added in a bit later.

"It really was easy," Sanji said smiling.

"Something seems a bit off though," Zoro said.

"That`s because the Ki you guys are forming isn`t visible yet," Kakusei said, causing everyone to open their eyes and see that their balls were not visible. "If you want the Ki to be visible like mine, you`ll have to put more into it, however just because it`s not visible," he said as he stood up and made his ball of Ki disappear, "doesn`t mean it`s not there." Kakusei pointed his hand at a large boulder, and a split second later, a chunk of the rock exploded.

"Whoa!" Sanji said shocked.

"So COOL!" Luffy and Chopper said with stars in their eyes.

"Impressive," Zoro said smiling. "So what was the point of learning to focus it if we can`t see it?"

"Baby steps Zoro," Kakusei said almost scolding him. "Now that you all can draw out your Ki, try to draw out enough that it`s visible. I`ll leave you all to it, and be back in about half an hour."

"Where are you going?" Sanji asked.

"I`ve got a few ideas I want to try out," Kakusei said as he walked towards the beach.

**-X-**

**A Half Hour Later…**

**-X-**

"So how`s it going guys?" Kakusei said upon his return.

"I did it!" Luffy said excitedly as he presented his Ki ball about a foot in diameter.

"So did I!" Chopper said as he presented his ball of Ki, about 9 inches in diameter. "It`s smaller than Luffy`s though…"

"That`s fine Chopper," Kakusei said as he patted Chopper on the head. "You got the important part down, so we can fine tune it later. Sanji, Zoro, let`s see yours."

Sanji and Zoro both presented their balls of Ki to Kakusei for inspection, both being about 1 foot in diameter, like Luffy`s. "Mine`s bigger," Sanji said confidently.

"Are you blind?" Zoro said. "Mine`s bigger."

"You must be blind Marimo, cause mine`s bigger," Sanji said his anger rising.

"What was that Ero-Cook?" Zoro said his anger rising as well.

"Break it up ladies," Kakusei said gaining both their attention, "and listen up. Now that you all have that step down, next comes the best part. We`re gonna fire these babies and blow shit up."

"WE`RE GONNA FIRE BEAMS!" Luffy yelled excitedly.

"AWESOME!" Chopper yelled.

"Finally," Sanji said smugly.

"Took him long enough," Zoro said annoyed a bit.

"Now when a Ki blast fires from your hand," Kakusei said making a visible ball of Ki in his hands, "you have to imagine it like you`re firing a gun or in some cases, a cannon." He pointed his hand and ball of Ki at another rock, and took aim carefully, and Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, and Chopper looked on carefully. "You aim, charge up, and FIRE!" The blast leapt from Kakusei`s hand and shot right at the rock, and on contact, the rock disintegrated.

"So how would you envision that?" Sanji asked.

"It`s like the Ki is the ammo in the barrel, and it shoots to your target," Kakusei said. "Or if your arm is one big pistol barrel."

"Oh, so it`s like my Gomu Gomu no Pistol," Luffy said having a moment of clarity, "but without actually throwing the punch."

"Exactly," Kakusei said pointing at Luffy.

"That helps clear things up," Chopper said child-like.

"Now, Luffy, Chopper," Kakusei said getting their attention," since you two fight normally with your fists like me, you`ll fire your Ki regularly like what I do, okay?"

"Got it," they said in unison.

"Zoro," Kakusei said to Zoro, getting his attention, "because of your fighting style, you`re gonna channel your Ki through your swords and make a blast about the size and shape of the tip of your sword or the edge of your blade, and I want to make it clear, for this exercise, do NOT swing your arm to shoot the blast, got it?"

"Got it," Zoro replied.

"Sanji," Kakusei said calling Sanji`s attention, "I want you to channel your Ki through your feet, since you never use your hands in combat anyway. I want your blast to at least leave a footprint, at max, total destruction of the target, and like Zoro, you will NOT go through the kicking motions when the blast leaves your foot, understood?"

"Sure thing," Sanji said as he lit his cigarette. "So what are you gonna do?"

"I`m gonna go and continue working on what I was before," Kakusei replied. "I`ll give you guys an hour this time, cause this is a bit harder than before, and try to space out so you guys don`t hit each other."

"Got it," Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Chopper said as Kakusei walked away.

**-X-**

**An Hour Later…**

**-X-**

"So how`re we doing?" Kakusei said as he walked up to where he left the guys. He looked around, and saw, everywhere but a foot around where Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper stood, what could have been described as a battlefield. Blast craters were everywhere, and rough slash marks were in trees and rocks alike. "Wow, you guys have been busy."

"You bet," Zoro said turning to face Kakusei.

"So what do you think?" Sanji asked calmly.

"I think I`d like to see you guys fire those blasts before I jump to any conclusions," Kakusei replied smiling at the destruction they achieved.

"Alright, let`s do it one more time!" Luffy said as he charged up another blast and aimed it at Kakusei.

"Not like that Luffy!" Kakusei, Sanji, and Zoro yelled at Luffy as he readied to fire.

"Where should we fire then?" Chopper asked.

"How about those rocks over there?" Kakusei said as he pointed to four large boulders that somehow they had managed not to destroy.

"Okay," Luffy said as he began to walk forward a bit before Kakusei stopped him.

"I also want to see if you guys can get good distance and still keep power too, you know," Kakusei said as he looked at Luffy.

"Fine," Luffy said as he quickly charged up his blast and then fired it at the first rock from the right, blowing up half of it completely.

"Nice," Kakusei said as he admired Luffy handwork. "Zoro, you`re up."

"Alright then," Zoro said as he stuck his blade straight up in front of him, with the tip of the blade pointed to the sky. His blast formed as it ran from the hilt to the tip, and then fired off in a wave which sliced the rock clean in two. "How`s that?"

"Perfect," Kakusei said as he saw the inside of the rock shine in several colors. "Sanji, your turn."

"Got it," Sanji said as he chambered his leg and then pointed his foot at the rock. His blast charged up, and shot forward, and blew up just about as much stone as Luffy did, but leaving a clean blast line. "How`d I do, teach?"

"'A' Plus, Sanji," Kakusei said as he held up his thumb to Sanji in satisfaction. "Alright Chopper, it`s all you."

"Alright," Chopper said happily. He pointed his hooves together like he was doing his Scope in Brain Point.

"Luffy suggested you do that, didn`t he?" Kakusei asked out of curiosity.

"Yep," Chopper said smiling.

"Should have known," Kakusei said a bit sullen in his mind. "You ready?"

"Yes," Chopper said as he charged up his blast between his hooves. He fired his blast at the rock, but the light was so bright, Kakusei, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had to shield their eyes. When the blast subsided they took a look at Choppers target, and saw most of it was still there, save for a hole in the front about the size of the blast. "Aww, I didn`t do as well as the others."

"Hold on a minute Chopper," Kakusei said as he walked over to inspect the rock. When he got around to the backside of the rock, his jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out of his head. "Ch-chopper, you did better than Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro."

"WHAT?" Chopper, Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro said as they ran to see what Kakusei was seeing. They saw the back of the rock, and Sanji, Luffy, and Zoro went into shock as well, while Chopper became immediately happier. In the front, the rock only seemed to have a hole punched into it. On the back, however, the rock was completely decimated, as the exit hole, or exit crater would be a better term, was about the size of the rock itself. And the crater left by the blast landing in the side of the mountain was about the size of a small house.

"What the hell just happened?" Zoro asked aloud and confused.

"AWESOME!" Luffy said looking at the destruction.

"How the hell did that little ball of Ki do so much damage?" Sanji asked saying what pretty much everyone was thinking.

"Chopper must have unconsciously compressed his Ki," Kakusei said calmly.

"What does that mean?" Chopper asked.

"I think it`d be better to show you," Kakusei said as he raised his hand and made his fingers form into a gun shape. "This is what happens with Ki normally." He charged a blast at his fingertip and created a blast about 3 feet in diameter. "You have to make the blast bigger in order to add more power to the attack." He shot the blast off and took a larger chunk of rock out of the crater Chopper made in the mountain. "However, if you compress the Ki like so," he said as he made a blast about the width of his finger, "you can use less Ki, and have the same if not greater effect." He shot the second blast off and blew a crater in his previous one, three times the size of the first crater. "It`s like taking the gunpowder for a rifle, but putting it into a pistol. There`s more force behind the attack, even though the projectile is smaller."

"That makes sense," Sanji said looking at the difference in power.

"Not a bad idea," Zoro said grinning a bit.

"You mean I did that without thinking about it?" Chopper said looking at Kakusei eagerly.

"Yep," Kakusei said smiling at Chopper feeling like a big brother to him.

"AWESOME!" Luffy said again with stars in his eyes. "Can you teach us to do that?"

"If we have any extra time," Kakusei said. "I still have to get you four through basics first, and through elemental control. But we`re almost done with the basics, so it may be possible."

"Really?" Sanji asked. "What`s left?"

"You guys are gonna learn…" Kakusei said leaving them in suspense for a few seconds before he shot off into the air and flew around for a bit, over the island and across the water, and then returning to hover over where he stood. "…to fly."

"We`re gonna learn to fly?" Luffy and Chopper said excitedly.

"Why do we need to learn to fly?" Zoro asked, saying what was also on Sanji`s mind.

"Yeah," Sanji commented. "Since we have to fight mostly at close range, why do we want to get farther away?"

"Good questions guys," Kakusei replied as Luffy and Chopper calmed down and focused on what Kakusei was saying. "This exercise will not only teach you guys to fly, which can be used as a tactical advantage against ground-based opponents, but it will also help in the overall control of your Ki. The soles of your feet are the hardest places for Ki to reach, so if you can control your Ki enough to get Ki down there, you can get Ki pretty much anywhere on your body, and it`ll help when you have to manipulate Ki outside your bodies as well."

"Looks like I`ve got an advantage then," Sanji said.

"So this lesson is building on the Ki control we`ve learned thus far?" Zoro asked.

"Yep," Kakusei said nodding his head. "The biggest thing I want you guys to take from this is control. In any martial art, control is a key component. Many of these techniques I`m teaching you can kill an opponent with ease. You don`t want to go all out unless you have to, because I don`t think anyone here wants to kill people like a common murderer." Everyone nodded their heads at this statement. "Also, if you reveal every trick you have to an opponent at the beginning of a fight, you`re basically giving your opponent every trick in your book. Save your strongest and most unexpected techniques for when you`ll need them most, like to turn the tide of a battle or if you have no other options."

"Where the hell did these words of wisdom come from?" Sanji asked about thirty seconds after Kakusei gave his speech breaking the silence and smiling a bit.

"I guess those words came from everyone I`ve learned from over the course of my life," Kakusei said after thinking a bit. "That includes you guys, and everyone you`ve ever fought or met."

"How does that work?" Zoro asked as Luffy and Chopper tilted their heads in confusion.

"I guess I learn from everyone`s decisions," Kakusei said shrugging his shoulders. "So, you guys ready to start?"

"You`re not gonna go away this time?" Chopper asked.

"Nope," Kakusei said. "I finished up what I needed to do, so I`m gonna be here guiding you guys every step of the way. Now let`s get you guys off the ground."

"Yeah!" Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper yelled in agreement. Over the next few hours, Kakusei had taught Sanji, Luffy, Zoro, and Chopper how to fly, albeit with a short lunch break. Sanji got the hang of levitating first, due to how he learned to shoot Ki. Chopper, Zoro, and Luffy soon followed suit, although Luffy was the last to the party. Shortly after that, everyone was flying freely.

"Alright guys, bring it in," Kakusei said causing everyone to land. "Now that we`re all even on Ki control, we`re gonna do some sparring so we can get a better reaction time with using Ki."

"Shishishishi, this is gonna be fun!" Luffy said raring to go.

"What`s sparring?" Chopper asked.

"It`s like fighting, but we`re not gonna go all out on each other," Kakusei explained.

"I`m gonna kick your shitty ass, Marimo," Sanji said glaring at Zoro.

"Not if I cut you up first, Ero-Cook," Zoro said glaring back at Sanji.

"I thought I said we were gonna spar, guys," Kakusei said trying to calm Sanji and Zoro down a bit.

**-X-**

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Nami yelled at Kakusei that night at dinner. Kakusei, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper were all covered in bruises and bandages as they ate, and Zoro and Sanji seemed the most beat up, although Sanji`s hands were somehow untouched. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL THEM? WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY DIE?"

"So we went a little overboard in sparring," Kakusei said nonchalantly. "Big deal. We`ll heal quickly."

"That`s not the point!" Nami said as she slugged Kakusei over the head causing him to pass out and drop to the floor. "Oops."

"Oi, Kakusei!" Luffy said panicked as he tried to shake Kakusei awake. "Don`t die on us!"

"DOCTOR! WE NEED A DOCTOR!" Chopper yelled frantically as he ran around in a circle. "GAH! I`m the doctor!"

"Why did he pass out?" Usopp asked Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji as Chopper did a check-up. "He always seemed just as strong as you three."

"I`m not surprised actually," Zoro said calmly.

"Same here," Sanji said as he began washing some dishes. "The rest of us were fighting him at the same time."

"Wait, he was fighting four against one?" Nami and Usopp yelled in shock.

"Yeah, it was his idea," Luffy said calmly. "He said it would help us work together and get a better handle on using Ki on instinct. He said he needed the training anyway."

"He was able to keep up with you all?" Usopp said shocked. "No wonder he was tired."

"Great, if he dies now, I`ll feel even worse for hitting him," Nami said a bit sullen.

"I`ll still love you anyway, Nami-swaaan!" Sanji said flirting as usual.

"He`s fine," Chopper said as he put away his equipment. "He`s just sleeping."

"Thank god," Nami said as she wiped her forehead.

"We better get him to bed," Chopper said calmly. "It seems like he`ll be out for the rest of the night."

"I`ll take care of it," Robin said as feet appeared under Kakusei`s body and walked him towards the door, and an arm opened the door so Kakusei` wouldn`t hit his head.

**-X-**

**Three Days Later…**

**-X-**

Kakusei leaned over the rail of the Merry, wearing only his kung fu pants and a black tank top. It was late, and he was reviewing over how the overall training had gone the past couple of days. The second day of training entailed more finite control over Ki-based attacks, sensing Ki with the mind`s eye, and more combat practice, but less intense than the first day. The third day (yesterday) they had finally gotten around to elemental training and found out what everyone`s natural elemental affinities were. A few results confused Kakusei a bit, but they moved on and made some great progress. Today`s training had been perfecting their elemental control and making new element and Ki-based attacks to use in the future, should they be needed. All in all, Kakusei was pretty satisfied with the results. "I just realized," Kakusei said to himself chuckling a bit, "one day, these guys may no longer need me to teach them. They may somehow find new fighting techniques all their own, and incorporate them into their fighting styles with what I`ve taught them these past few days. After that, what place do I have on this crew?"

"I can`t say I could answer that question," a familiar voice spoke up and grabbing Kakusei`s attention.

"Robin," Kakusei said turning around and smiling. "Figures you`re the one who hears that. So what did you want?"

"I`d like to learn more about your world," Robin said smiling in her usual manner. "Is that alright?"

"Nah, it`s fine," Kakusei said smiling. "I did promise after all. So what do you want to hear about tonight, the end of World War II or a more peaceful event?"

"The end of World War II is fine," Robin replied. "I`m surprised the majority of your world went to a full-scale war in the more recent era, twice."

"Well, that`s mainly the fault of power-hungry dictators like Hitler," Kakusei said remembering the previous conversations he had with Robin about World War I and the rest of World War II. "Well, anyway, after Hitler committed suicide, his empire collapsed. And with Mussolini soon shot dead, the only people left fighting were the Japanese. Even after much fighting and the attacks on their homeland, they still did not give up. So the products of the Manhattan Project were deployed to finish the job."

"The Manhattan Project?" Robin asked inquisitively.

"It was one of the greatest project mankind ever did so far in my world," Kakusei began, "but it also created the most deadly weapon and power source know to my world as well."

Robin stared at Kakusei in awe of his words, and despite her cool and calm demeanor, in her mind, she seemed almost afraid to ask what she wanted. "What was created?" she said slowly.

"The atomic bomb," Kakusei said staring almost blankly out into the dark ocean. "The atomic bomb harnesses the power of the very atoms that make up every substance and creature known to make, creating a blast as hot as the sun itself that easily stretches out several miles. Those people and anything else caught in the immediate blast were essentially flash fossilized into giant humanoid pieces of charcoal. Others were blinded, burned horribly all over their body, or worse. And you didn` t have to be caught in the immediate blast to be affected. The radiation from the blast could mutate your DNA, could cause your hair to fall out, cancer, or horribly disfigure your future offspring, should you retain the ability to have offspring. This weapon, which levels cities and that could leave entire islands uninhabitable, was unfortunately replicated across the world, and remains one of the biggest threats to my world today." Robin just stared at Kakusei in shock, vivid scenes of flame and fear running through her mind from her own memories, as she tried to picture what the bombs could have done. "It`s unfortunately one of the sadder chapters of world history in general," Kakusei said snapping Robin out of her daze, "but also one of the most glorified in American history because we won the war. The war was over and everyone was happy. How foolish I was to think that way back home." Kakusei just stared into the water, as Robin looked at him in an awkward silence. "But at least there`s nothing that bad here, right?" Kakusei said as he quickly turned around and smiled at Robin, comforting her a bit.

"Yes," Robin said feeling a bit relieved. "I don`t think there`s anything that bad here."

"Well, I`m gonna turn in," Kakusei said as he walked towards the guy`s quarters. "Let me know what you want to hear about next, okay?"

"Okay," Robin replied. She gave her usual smile to Kakusei as he closed the door to the guy`s room, and then looked out into the ocean herself. "We may not have atomic bombs here, but we have something pretty close."

**-X-**

So, we finally got to and finished Ki training. I put the chat between Robin and Kakusei here because I wanted you guys to see how one of their conversations went about our world`s history.

Next chapter, we`ll start up a hopefully short arc!

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	17. Chapter 17

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 17: Long Island, Short Arc**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

"Where the hell am I?" Kakusei said as he looked around him. He was on a bridge in the middle of the ocean, and he couldn`t clearly see either end of the bridge, as if the ends were surrounded by a thick fog. He kept looking around but saw nothing but this fog. Then he saw Robin in a different outfit in handcuffs on the bridge with a light-blue, no more cyan,-haired man with Popeye-like arms with light blue stars tattooed on them trying to unlock her cuffs. He had his cyan hair styled like Ace Ventura or Elvis Presley, long sideburns, a chin with three points in it, a metal nose, and was wearing a large gold necklace, a Hawaiian shirt, and a Speedo-like pair of underwear. This man seemed so familiar.

Then Kakusei heard the man yell, "Dammit, none of these keys work! I thought we had all of them!"

Just then, Kakusei saw a huge shadow engulf him, and he turned around to see a huge figure of a man, easily six if not seven feet tall, with black hair tied in a long braid which hung down his back, in a black suit with an oversized monk bead necklace hanging over his shoulders and wearing a pair of monk sandals and socks, glaring at him calmly, yet with intense fury, almost bloodlust, in his red eyes. This man roared at Kakusei before shifting to a large form which Kakusei could not identify because it was shadowed over. Just then, the scene froze and a Japanese dragon made out of what looked like blazing blue flames came out of nowhere and looked square on at Kakusei. He heard a deep voice like an older man`s saying, "You must act now!" as the dragon charged at Kakusei while the scene slowly began to start back up, and the shadowed man swung what looked like a claw at Kakusei. Kakusei looked back and forth between the Dragon and the shadowed man trying to figure out what was going on. The instant the dragon and the shadowed man were going to collide with Kakusei, he shut his eyes in fear.

That instant, he awoke with a shock in his bed, breaking out in a cold sweat. He sat up for a minute, panting heavily as sweat dripped down his face and off his chin. "Just a dream," Kakusei said in between his heavy breaths. "It was just a dream, just a bad dream." He picked himself up out of bed, got dressed, and walked over to ladder which led to the panel to the deck. He opened the door, and gained the attention of most everyone on deck.

"Kakusei, you`re up!" Luffy said excitedly.

"Do you feel alright?" Chopper asked as he began to look Kakusei over. "Are you sick?"

Just then, Nami hit Kakusei over the head, making a fresh welt in his skull. **BAM!** "Why the hell were you asleep so long, Kakusei?" she said a bit angrily, as Chopper backed off in fear. "We could have made more money if it weren`t for you!"

"Why do you say that?" Kakusei said as he nursed his fresh welt.

"You`ve been out for about three days," Robin explained calmly. "We just left Mecha Island a few hours ago."

"Mecha Island, why does that sound so familiar?" Kakusei mused to himself for a few seconds. "Wait, I WAS ASLEEP FOR THREE DAYS?" he said in shock.

"You just caught that?" Luffy, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp yelled at Kakusei, shocked at his reaction.

"Yeah, we had an adventure while you were sleeping," Chopper said to Kakusei.

"We found an old lady in a treasure chest, and we took her back to her island," Usopp explained, "but it turns out the island was actually a giant turtle!"

"And this guy made a bunch of mecha!" Luffy said excitedly. "Some were awesome!"

"Wait, an island-sized turtle, mecha, and an old lady in a treasure chest?" Kakusei said as his memories slowly came back to him. He hit his forehead with his palm in realization, and said, "Now I remember! The Golden Crown thing! Man, I missed a good adventure. So, the eggshell sank already I take it?"

**BAM! BAM!**

"Yes, it did," Nami said a bit angry as she gave Kakusei two new welts and sent his face into the deck at the same time. "If you hadn`t been sleeping, you could have just teleported the solid gold eggshell to a bank and cashed it like you did with the ball that was on Luffy`s arm!"

"S-sorry," Kakusei said slowly as he recovered from the pain Nami had just given him. However, he quickly picked himself back up, and made a complete recovery. "That actually brings up a question I wanted to ask for a while," he said dusting himself off. "Did you guys ever meet a little girl named Apis?"

"Don`t remind me," Sanji said beginning to look sick. "Her cooking was horrible."

"Well, that answers one question," Kakusei said aloud. "Here`s another quick one. Do you guys know what the Rainbow Mist is?"

"Never heard of it," Nami said calmly. "Why do you ask?"

Before Kakusei could get a chance to answer, the Sea Monkeys from about a week ago popped up out of nowhere. Luffy stared then down, both sides making monkey faces. Then all of a sudden, after a few minutes of awkward silence and silent fear, the Sea Monkeys created a huge tidal wave.

"RUN, IT'S THE SEA MONKEYS!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs.

"They followed us?" Usopp yelled fearfully.

"Why the hell would they follow us for more than a week and not do anything?" Kakusei yelled loudly.

"Crap! No wind!" Nami yelled in fear as well. "Hoist the sail!"

"ROW!" Zoro said as the oars were whipped out in an instant.

"Row for your lives!" Sanji said fearfully.

"EMERGENCY REPORT! EMERGENCY REPORT! SHIP SIGHTED AT 12 O'CLOCK!" Usopp said drawing everyone`s attention to the ship ahead.

"AN ENEMY?" Luffy said worriedly.

"Now?" Chopper asked worriedly as well.

"Well..." Usopp began a bit slowly, "There's no flag, and no sail. What`s with that ship?"

"They don`t have anything?" Luffy asked as we rowed fervently. "What are they doing on the sea?"

"I don't know...!" Usopp said quickly. "But anyways, the crew riding on it is strangely small in number... PLUS THEY'RE JUST LYING AROUND! THEY DON'T EVEN SEEM TO BE ALIVE!"

"What's going on? Is that ship okay?" Sanji asked aloud.

"It's gonna be sucked under by the wave!" Kakusei said aloud as well.

"HEY YOU GUYS! A tidal wave and some monkeys are coming!" Luffy said loudly to the other ship. "Grab the rudder!"

"Luffy, I`m sure they appreciate your kindness," Kakusei said calmly as he rowed with the other guys, "but can you PLEASE GET BACK TO ROWING! WE DON`T WANT TO DIE EITHER!"

"Ah...A ship... whoa... A pirate ship!" One of the men said as his spirits rose slowly. "Get up, men! It's an enemy ship, steal their treasure!"

"No, look out for the wave! We've gotta get away from that first!" Another man argued.

"The other ship's gettin' away! MAN THE CANNONS!" a third man said loudly.

"Hey, who are you ordering around? YOU do it!" another man said rudely.

"The helm! Get the helm!" another man said as well.

"HEY, DON'T DO THAT!" the first man yelled.

"What a crappy crew," Luffy said bluntly as he got back to rowing.

"They wanna steal our treasure, they're enemies. Leave 'em," Sanji said calmly as he rowed as well.

The other crew just kept arguing among themselves. "Which way does the helm go? Don't ask me! Someone give us orders! Navigator! Not here! Captain! Not here! OH NO, WE'RE GOIN' UNDER!" **BOOM! **"HEY! Who shot the cannon? Dammit, you're all useless! So are you! Can't we even avoid ONE fuckin` wave?" Then their ship went under.

"Whew, all over... So I guess that tidal wave was a sea monkey prank," Zoro said wiping his forehead.

"The humidity and temperature are pretty stable," Nami said calmed down now. "I'd bet we're in the climate range of the next island."

"And I know not to bet against you," Kakusei said commenting Nami`s statement, causing her to giggle a bit.

"You got that right, Kakusei," Nami said smiling a bit at him.

"Hey Robin, can you see anything?" Kakusei asked Robin, who was in the crow`s nest.

"Yes, for a while now actually," Robin said calmly.

"WHY DIDN`T YOU SAY ANYTHING SOONER?" both Usopp and Luffy yelled at Robin.

"You are on watch," Usopp said a bit annoyed at Robin`s actions. "When you see an island, you say…"

"LAND AHOOOOOOY, MATEYS!" Luffy finished for Usopp. "Yahoooo!"

"Go on, say it," Usopp said urging Robin to do the same.

"Sorry if we all can`t act like the Pirates of the Caribbean, guys," Kakusei said sarcastically.

"The fog is rather thick," Robin said calmly.

"Fog...? Could be dangerous," Nami said in response. "Chopper, you keep watch out front."

"Got it!" Chopper replied eagerly.

"Don't you realize how much we've been looking forward to seeing an island?" Luffy said to Robin almost scolding her.

"I'm sorry," Robin said apologizing. "I'll be careful."

"That`s better," Luffy said happily.

"By the way..." Usopp said slowly, "Isn't that other ship worrying you guys? No captain... no navigator... No flag, no sail. No motivation, no teamwork... They were hardly a pirate crew!"

"You`ve got a point," Kakusei said rubbing his chin.

"Maybe they were in a battle and their captain died..." Zoro said darkly. "And all that stuff got stolen..."

"That's the thing...!" Usopp said in his own defense. "I took a good look at their ship, and there are basically no signs of a battle! There was nothing you could call a pirate's "life" on that ship!

"Then they weren't pirates... no big deal," Sanji said calmly.

"Maybe…" Usopp said slowly. "But my instincts tell me they were pirates! I have a bad feeling about this…"

"You always do," Sanji said walking away.

"It`s true…" Kakusei said walking away as well.

"I hope there's a town! And I hope it has a shipbuilding dock!" Luffy said excitedly as he walked away.

"We can't land immediately, Luffy!" Nami said trying to get Luffy to stop.

"I wonder if we'll find a good shipwright to join us," Chopper said hopefully.

"We`ll have to see," Kakusei said calmly.

"I see the shore!" Luffy said still excited. "Ready the anchor!"

"Gotcha!" Sanji said calmly.

"Guys...!" Usopp said hunching over and looking sick. "Listen..."

"Chopper! Usopp's got "Going-to-die-from-landing-on -an-unknown-island-itis," Sanji said not even looking at Usopp.

"Ugh..." Usopp said slowly lowering himself to the ground.

"I can't heal that," Chopper said bluntly.

"I see the island...!" Kakusei said full of excitement.

"THERE'S NOTHING HERE!" everyone but Robin and Luffy exclaimed. The island was a huge plain as far as the eye could see, with trees that had very tall trunks, but most of the leaves were only at the top quarter of the tree.

"Wow! Cool!" Luffy said amazed.

"Plains, as far as the eye can see..." Nami said calmly.

"Talk about un-exotic," Sanji said.

"Plains are a nice change of pace," Kakusei said. "Reminds me of home…"

"I wonder if anyone lives here..." Robin said calm as usual.

"WOOOOO! PLAINS!" Luffy said running off.

"HEY! Sheesh..." Nami said annoyed at Luffy`s attitude. "I wish they wouldn't just jump down on land when we don't know what's out there."

"There can't be much danger when there's nothing there," Zoro said calmly.

"500,000 Beri says Luffy does something stupid to get us in trouble before the day`s over," Kakusei said in one calm breath.

"He`ll win that bet…" the others thought as Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp ran off on the island.

**-X-**

**A few minutes later…**

**-X-**

"So Kakusei, why did you ask all those questions earlier?" Robin asked causing everyone to look at Kakusei, who had been lounging in a chair he took out of the ship.

"Well, there were a few arcs and story plots left out of the One Piece manga that were in the anime, like Usopp dueling Daddy Masterson," Kakusei said slowly.

"I remember him!" Nami said realizing the kinds of things that Kakusei was talking about.

"Exactly," Kakusei replied. "I never saw the filler arcs, but I did learn about them. And you guys helped me learn that some filler arcs did not happen, like the Rainbow Mist arc. The absence may be because of my presence here."

"Why would you say that?" Sanji asked.

Just then, a pair of giant metal claws clamped down on either side of the general area where they all were. Looking back to where the claws were fired, Kakusei, Robin, Sanji, Zoro, and Nami saw that the claws were actually a pair of anchors made to look like a fox`s claws, and those anchors were holding down a ship with a fox figurehead.

"Who are you guys...?" Zoro said looking at the ship

"Come down, if you want a fight!" Sanji said looking at the ship as well.

"What are they doing...?" Nami said worriedly. "Our ship has been sealed in!" The pair of anchors had been placed so the chains blocked the front and back of the Going Merry.

"Get out here you cowards!" Zoro yelled loudly.

"We are the Foxy Pirates. Do not be hasty," A voice from the ship said calmly, and sparking a grimace from Kakusei. "What we seek... IS A DUEL!"

"Crap, how could I forget this retard?" Kakusei said face-palming himself.

"You remember this man?" Robin asked Kakusei as he held his head.

"Unfortunately, but not everything," Kakusei replied as he realized he was staring at the ship of Foxy the Silver Fox.

**-X-**

And so we begin the Davy Back Fight arc. Boy, is this one gonna be fun…

Next chapter, we declare war on Foxy!

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	18. Chapter 18

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 18: Ring Around the Long Island**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

"Crap, how could I forget this retard?" I said face-palming himself.

"You remember this man, Kakusei?" Robin asked me as I held my head.

"Unfortunately, but not everything," I replied as I realized we was staring at the ship of Foxy the Silver Fox.

"Davy Back Fight?" Nami asked.

"It`s a game between pirate crews," I said calmly. "It begins the moment both ship captains agree to it."

"He`s right," one of the Foxy Pirates said. "At this very moment, our captain is probably propositioning your captain, Monkey D. Luffy, to play the game...!"

"Propositioning, my ASS!" I yelled at the Foxy Pirates while unconsciously venting Haki, causing the crew to fear me a little. "He`s just a shrimpy, little pretentious asshole who can`t even fight outside his own terms!"

"Propositioning?" Zoro said calmly. "I call it "challenging to a fight"!"

"Don't you know what that is? It's not a fight," Sanji said more calmly than Zoro. ""Davy Back Fight" is a pirate's GAME."

"That's right. The game originated long ago on "Pirate Island," the legendary pirate paradise that is said to exist somewhere on the sea..." Robin said explaining the history behind the game. "It was a way to gain a better crew by simply stealing it from another pirate.

"Pirates stealing from pirates...?" Nami said shocked at this idea.

"Yes," Robin replied calmly.

"I'm surprised you've been pirating without having heard of it," Another of the Foxy Pirates said mocking us a bit.

"I`m surprised your boss can actually win a fight," I said with a sarcastic tone in my voice.

"DAVY BACK FIGHT IS A BATTLE FOR MANPOWER! WHAT WE WANT IS A THREE-COIN GAME! A THREE-PART CHALLENGE!" A third member of the Foxy Pirates yelled loudly. "The winner of each game gets to choose whatever crewmembers he wants from the other ship! And the crewmembers he wins have to claim allegiance to their new captain! By swearing to Davy Jones at the bottom of the sea!"

"If you lose... your crew is taken away?" Nami said shocked.

"AYE! And if the crew doesn't have any worthwhile members," yet another Foxy Pirate said aggressively, "you can even take away the life of the ship, its Jolly Roger."

"You're wagering your companions and your pride. Succeed, and your strength can be multiplied..." Sanji said slowly, "…fail, and what you lose will be immense... A tasteless game...!

"It really is the lowest kind of bet you can make," I said trying to keep my cool. "Human lives and the place of your friends should never be gambled."

"Then... you think that ship we saw without any leadership..." Nami said slowly. "No sail, no captain..."

"Oho... so, you ran across the Fanged Toad Pirates, eh?" the first Foxy Pirate said speaking up. "That ship was just prey for the game! Look! These are our new members!" Then they all went on how great the Foxy Pirates were and how they were glad they lost, and blah blah blah.

"...THAT'S PREPOSTEROUS!" Nami yelled at the Foxy Pirates. "THERE'S NO WAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO ACCEPT YOUR PROPOSITION!"

"Stupid girl! That's not something the crews decide! It's all up to the two captains!" the second of the Foxy Pirates said. "Cry and scream all you want, if your captain Monkey D. Luffy says so, you're all going to be participants in the game!"

"They're right, Nami-san... it's an unwritten law in the pirating world...!" Sanji said staunchly. "Try to sneak your way out of it, and you'll be shamed for life!"

"Who cares about a little embarrassment?" Nami said worriedly.

"I'd rather die than suffer any dishonor," Zoro said in his usual tone.

"Same," Sanji said agreeing with Zoro for once.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Nami yelled at Sanji and Zoro.

"Forget about it..." Robin said calmly. "That's what men are like..."

"What am I, chopped liver?" I said to Robin.

"FINE! Then we have to stop Luffy!" Nami said worriedly again.

"Don't waste your time," the Foxy Pirates said arrogantly. "When both captains fire pistols at the same time, that's the signal that the game will begin! Just wait for it..."

"And while we`re waiting for it, we could thin the opposition a bit," I said glaring at the Foxy Pirates with a devilish grin on my face. Half the crew looked like they just shit themselves. Then again, my grin was always devilish. It just makes me look plain evil.

"How so, Kakusei?" Zoro asked with his devilish grin on as well.

"Well, we could rip the anchors out of the ground and send the entire crew off so far, they can`t participate," I said calmly. "Or we could just kill them," I said looking more evil than I ever had as I glared right at the crew, causing more than likely all or most of them shit themselves, and then half of them to pass out in fear. On the inside, I was cracking up over how easy these guys were to intimidate. Then we all heard a gunshot almost immediately followed by a second.

"HUH? HE JUST...!" Nami said shocked a bit.

"Here we go..." Sanji said.

"Just what I wanted..." Zoro said grinning devilishly.

"Told you guys Luffy would do something like this before the day was over," I said shrugging my shoulders.

"This should be fun..." Robin said smiling.

"THE GAME HAS BEEN ACCEPTED!" The Foxy Pirates yelled loudly. In less than an hour, the Foxy Pirates had set up three carnivals` worth of tents, concession stands, and a stage.

"OKAY BOYS, SETTLE DOWN!" A young woman with dark blue hair, blue eyes, and a long, pointed nose said to the crowd. She was wearing a pink jumpsuit with extremely puffed pant legs, and a bikini top exposed beneath the jumpsuit. Her outfit had several large, white puff-balls over it mainly on the joints; the biggest one was hanging from her hat.

"Porche-chan!" The Foxy Pirates yelled at the top of their lungs.

"I WILL NOW REPEAT THE THREE CONDITIONS FOR THE LOSING SIDE!" Porche began. One! All crewmembers and flags lost during Davy Back Fight cannot be won back in another game of Davy Back Fight. Two! All people chosen by the winner must immediately swear loyalty to the captain of the enemy ship. Three! You cannot EVER display your symbol again after you have lost it!"

"How can you be fine with this?" Nami said while sitting on a small bench and holding her head.

"Cotton candy for you!" Sanji said as he ran towards Nami.

"Are you still whining?" Zoro said.

"He`s gotta point," I said calmly. "We`re here, and this was bound to happen. We can win this."

"Anyone who fails to abide by these rules will be shamed as a pirate and sacrificed to Davy Jones' Locker!" Porche said dramatically. "Do you swear by these rules?"

"I DO," Foxy said confidently.

"I DO!" Luffy said while stuffing his face.

"WOOOOOO!" the Foxy Pirates exclaimed.

Now, watch the coins! We announce this three-coin game by orthodox rules..." Foxy said as he chucked the three coins into the sea." …TO DAVY JONES NOW! LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Who's Davy Jones?" Chopper asked Robin and I.

"A pirate of old who was cursed by the devil and is supposedly still alive today, at the bottom of the sea," Robin said calmly.

"You can live at the bottom of the sea?" Chopper asked innocently.

"According to the legend..." Robin began saying, "…his ship sank, and all of his treasure lies buried underneath the deck, in his "locker.""

"THE OCEAN FLOOR IS SCARY...!" Chopper said as he chomped down on some cotton candy Robin had given him. "Mmm, sweet!"

"That legend is heard back in my world too," I said calmly and thinking back on my life as bit. "I`ve even seen artist interpretations of what Davy looks like now."

"What does your world think he looks like?" Chopper asked also piquing Robin interests. I whipped out my sketchpad and quickly drew a sketch of Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean. "That looks scary…" Chopper said sweating a bit.

"Just like everything that sinks under the waves becomes Davy's...you can take everything from your opponents," Sanji said calmly. "That's why the pirates call it "Davy Back"."

"Mmm fweh fweh fweh..." Foxy laughed.

"Who catches your eye, Boss?" Porche asked.

"Captain, swordsman... navigator, sharpshooter," Foxy said beginning to name our professions off. Cook, doctor, archaeologist, tactician... Let's see... which ones do I want? ...yeah, THAT one! THAT'S THE ONE I WANT!"

"Hey! You guys know how the orthodox rules work?" one of the Foxy Pirates said yelling at us.

"Lots to choose from over there," Luffy said as he looked at the Foxy Pirates.

"You can choose seven or less members for three games!" the guy continued. "Each person only participates once, and once your lineup is decided there are no changes!"

"We know! Buzz off!" Sanji yelled at him.

While Nami and Usopp were beating up Luffy for getting us into this, Zoro, Robin and I were looking over the competitions. "The types of competition are: race, ball game, combat," Zoro said looking at the paper. "I call combat."

"What? No, I wanna fight!" Luffy said complaining.

"Leave it to me, my legs are itching!" Sanji said arguing in his defense.

"So, Kakusei, how do you think we should set up our team?" Robin asked. "You are our tactician after all." We had decided to change my title on the crew to make it shorter and more accurate.

"Well, we need to maximize our chances at winning," I said slowly as I sat in a thinking pose. "But we also need to provide a safety net in case on team loses in the first or second match, and provide an absolute win in the final match no matter what. With the abilities I know our crew has," I said as I began writing down the line-up, "I think this line-up is our best bet. Sorry to leave you out, but I want to be sure we don`t lose any of our nakama."

"It`s fine," Robin said looking at the line-up. "This should work nicely." She walked away to turn in the paper as Nami and Usopp sulked over the fact that they may be chosen to go first.

[Round One, "Donut Race"]

"Uh, I've got "Can't-participate-in-a-race-itis," so..." Usopp said nervously trying to get out of the race.

"I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS, EITHER! JUST SHUT UP AND PLAY ALONG!" Nami said yelling at Usopp.

"Seven of us have to do it..." I said as looking at the two of them. "We`ve got this, don`t worry guys," I said confidently. "I`ve got it all figured out."

[Participants: Usopp, Nami, Kakusei]

[Round Two, "Groggy Ring"]

"Don't hold us back," Zoro said looking at Sanji.

"That`s my line!" Sanji said glaring back at Zoro.

"I'll do my best!" Chopper said enthusiastically.

[Participants: Zoro, Sanji, Tony-Tony Chopper]

[Round Three, "Combat"]

"HELL YEAH!" Luffy said standing alone.

[Participant: Monkey D. Luffy]

"Okay, first up is a one lap dealy around the entire island, the "Donut Race"! The materials for your handmade boats will be three simple two-ply barrels! Anything else equates to a disqualification!" a skinny Foxy Pirate said over a loudspeaker. "Time to show off your ship-making skills! Overseeing the competition will be me, Tubiflex, the Foxy Pirates Master of Festivities. I will now announce the lineups from atop my South Blue "Super Sparrow," Tweetums!" And Tweetums just chirped. "First, the Straw Hat Team! Navigator Nami! Sharpshooter Usopp! Tactician Kakusei! The name of their boat is the "Barrel Tiger"!"

"This isn't going to sink, is it?" Nami asked Usopp worriedly.

"I told you, I'm not a shipwright!" Usopp said holding one of the paddles.

"We`ll be fine," I said as I slung a rope across my shoulders like backpack straps. "As long as this thing stays afloat long enough for us to finish the race, I`m happy." And the Foxy Pirates kept saying lewd remarks about the girls and Usopp and I. Man, I wanted to punch their faces in.

"And, representing the Foxy Pirates is our idol, Porche-chan!" Tubiflex said loud and proud.

"It's in the bag, boys!" Porche said confidently and almost like a valley girl. I didn`t even know they existed here.

"With her is the swordfish fishman, Kapoty! And the starshark, Monda!" Tubiflex announced. Kapoty was a swordfish Fishman with green skin and dark red hair. He wore a yellow shirt, purple gloves and shorts, a yellow belt and a dark purple mask with a light purple hood. Monda was an orange shark with yellow stars on him in the upper side of his body. He also wore a mask-like purple with black stripes hood. "The name of their boat, the "Cutie Wagon"!"

"Wait... that shark is a fish!" Nami objected.

"Sorry! No rules say you can't use a fish!" Porche said smugly.

"YOU GUYS BETTER WIN!" Luffy yelled at us.

"I'll send you down under the waves," Porche said confidently.

"And I`ll send you below the island," I said as I stood in the Barrel Tiger glaring at her. She looked a bit nervous as I said this. I was using my evil grin again.

"Both teams, to the starting line!" Tubiflex said while riding Tweetums. And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! Both teams have come to the starting line!"

"Sink the nose-man!" The Foxy Pirates chanted.

"SHUT UP!" Usopp yelled back.

"Now, allow me to explain the rules!" Tubiflex began. "Just one little lap around this island, Long Ring Long Land! That's all! Also, pistols, cannons, explosives, cutlasses, any weapons are perfectly OK! Anyone who complains about that not being fair is a sad excuse for a pirate!"

"Is this really gonna be a race?" Zoro asked.

"Hey, Usopp, Kakusei! If anything happens to Nami-san, you're in deep shit!" Sanji yelled at us.

"DON'T LOSE! USOPP, NAMI, KAKUSEI!" Luffy yelled, cheering us on.

"This is so exciting...!" Chopper said excitedly.

"Let`s see how our tactician handles this," Robin said to herself.

"Fweh fweh fweh, those fools," Foxy said confidently. "We've never lost playing by orthodox rules! Think they'll last five minutes in this race, Hamburg?

"Pffpffpffpfft...! Nope," Hamburg, a big gorilla-like human next to Foxy said.

"Shut the hell up, you retarded turnip head!" I yelled at Foxy, sending him into his depression mode. I felt a bit better looking at that.

"Well, now it's apparent that WE'VE GOT TO WIN!" Nami said loudly.

"Any weapons, any techniques, and we're allowed to sink our opponents," I said smugly with a huge grin plastered on my face. "This is gonna be a cakewalk."

"Yeah, that's reassuring," Usopp said only focusing on the sinking part.

"Oh no, listen to what they're saying," Porche said a bit worried.

"They're free to say what they like, Porche-chan," Kapoty said confidently. "They'll be sunk in three minutes! Right, Monda?" The star shark gave him a thumbs-up. Then Tubiflex gave both teams Eternal Log Poses for the island so we wouldn`t get lost.

"Take your positions!" Tubiflex said loudly. Nami and Usopp kept arguing about the course we should take, but I reassured them I had it covered. "Readyyyy… DONUTS!" Just then, the Foxy Pirates shot cannons at us, to slow us down.

"Fuupou! (Wind Step!)" I said as wind surrounded my legs, and I jumped out of the boat. The cannonballs hit the water causing massive waves, and sending the Cutie Wagon forward.

"Both teams start at once!" Tubiflex said surveying the damage. "And at the same time, the Foxy Pirates unleash a barrage of firepower! The Cutie Wagon has a good start, but where`s the Barrel Tiger?" Tubiflex looked around the field before he saw something that he could not believe. "I-impossible, the Barrel Tiger has the lead!" The Foxy Pirates including Foxy himself looked like they just shit bricks. "The tactician, Kakusei, is running across the water and pulling the Barrel Tiger! What in God`s name is he?"

"Kakusei! You could have told us this was your plan all along!" Nami yelled at me, but she seemed thankful I had this idea was well. "When did you learn how to do this?"

"I had plenty of free time to perfect this during that last training session," I said with a bit of arrogance in my voice as I ran. "And I got the water-walking technique down too."

"That`s awesome!" Nami said happily as she and Usopp hung onto the sides of the Barrel Tiger. "But anyway, that CAN'T be in the rules! They're not racing, so how can they interfere?"

"Does it matter?" Usopp said calmly. "As long as we have Kakusei on our side, we can`t lose!"

"Damn them!" Porche said angrily. "This isn`t over yet! Monta, full speed!"

"Kakusei, Miss Navigator, Long Nose-kun, look above you!" Robin said warning us. We looked up and saw a huge boulder, easily able to sink us.

"A BOULDER?" Usopp exclaimed.

"Fweh fweh, you're goin' down!" Foxy said laughing confidently.

"More attacks?" Nami exclaimed.

"RUN KAKUSEI! "Interference" is a given at any pirate competition!" Usopp said bugging out over the rock.

"What a bunch of CRAP!" Nami exclaimed.

"I`ve got a better idea," I said as I jumped into a bicycle kick and sent the boulder straight towards the Cutie Wagon.

"Gaah!" Porche screamed as the boulder headed for her before getting blown to bits by a cannonball.

"Nice work, Foxy," I yelled loud enough for him to hear. "Are you trying to lose this one, or are you really that stupid as to underestimate me, turnip head?"

"Not the turnip head thing again," Foxy said as he went into depression mode.

"If they're allowed to interfere... Wouldn't that be the same for us?" Robin said aloud watching us from the shore.

"That sound…" Nami said as she looked at the shore. We all looked and saw Sanji kicking the crap out of the guys who threw the boulder at us.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO NAMI-SAN?" Sanji said as the Foxy Pirates got their asses handed to themselves.

"Sanji!" Usopp said loudly. "Thanks!" Then the Foxy Pirates began to run away from Sanji.

"Get back here! I'll pulverize your skulls, you little bastards!" Sanji said angrily as they ran away.

"Good, now we just have to keep the lead," Usopp said as I continued to run.

"Kapoty, we have to regain the lead," Porche said confidently. "Show them your fishman karate!"

"Uwoh!" Kapoty said as he got in front of Monda. "SURFACE SPLITTER!" Kapoty swung a karate chop at the water, and caused a giant break to form in the water`s surface.

"Ah! Kakusei! Do something!" Usopp yelled worriedly.

"No shit, Sherlock," I said as I spun the boat around and faced the incoming water split quickly. In a split second, the force of the wave had been redirected towards the Cutie Wagon, but they barely dodged it. "Busoken: Wind Sword (Armament Fist: Wind Sword), and Avan-ryuu-sappou: Wave Slash (Avan Sword Style: Wave Slash!)!" I declared after the attack had finished. I quickly turned around, and resumed my pace, with the Cutie Wagon not far behind.

"Dammit, it`s no use!" Kapoty said to Porche.

"Keep going, Monda!" Porche said fervently.

"GO, GO, GO!" Luffy said excitedly. "Keep it up, Kakusei!"

"GOOD LUCK!" Chopper yelled to us. I gave him a thumbs-up, and he cheered louder.

"Fweh fweh... They're even more interesting, now...!" Foxy said sweating a bit. "...let's get going with our specialty, Hamburg!"

"Sure thing, Boss," Hamburg replied obediently.

"We could just go straight to the goal," Porche said a bit angry at her situation. "Or should we sink them?"

"I want to get back at that bastard tactician for making a fool of us," Kapoty said in response.

"The race is heating up now!" Tubiflex announced for all to hear. "We've come to the "Long Coral Reef" that cuts across the raceway! In the lead is the Straw Hat Pirates' Barrel Tiger! Following is Porche-chan's Cutie Wagon!"

"Oh no...! We can't lose the chance here to take the lead!" Porche said worriedly. "Go, Monda!"

"Look at the size of those coral reefs," I said as I slowed down a bit. "They`re huge!"

"Wait Kakusei!" Nami said causing me to stop. "The Coral`s causing some really strange water currents...! We shouldn't just charge in...!"

"Right," I said confident in Nami`s abilities.

"Oh? What's this?" Tubiflex said in surprise at our actions. "The Barrel Tiger is starting to slow down!"

"Hey, Kakusei, get going!" Usopp yelled at me. "We can`t lose this!"

"The Cutie Wagon is using this opportunity to pull further ahead! DIRECTLY INTO THE LONG CORAL REEF!" Tubiflex announced loudly. However, every time they tried to get between the coral, the boat got turned around and spat back out where they started.

"I knew there was something funny about those currents," Nami said realizing what we needed to do. "Okay, Kakusei, get going!"

"Roger!" I said as I bolted towards the reefs.

"Oddly enough, the Cutie Wagon is being pushed back each time it enters the reef!" Tubiflex said surprised. "And now the Barrel Tiger makes its move! Both boats head INTO THE LONG CORAL REEF!" Both of our boats went towards the coral, but Foxy sent a smoke-producing arrow in front of use to try to blind us.

"Kakusei, now!" Nami said.

"Got it!" I replied as I jumped into the boat as we let the currents steer for us.

"Look! The Barrel Tiger passes right through the coral reef!" Tubiflex said loudly as Foxy sat in shock. "And the Cutie Wagon is still being pushed back!"

"OH NOOO!" Porche cried out loudly.

"We passed right through! How did that happen?" Usopp asked us.

"This is a "labyrinth of currents"!" Nami replied.

"Currents?" Usopp asked aloud.

"Because of the whirlpool up ahead, there are lots of odd little current whorls inside the reef!" Nami replied confidently. "If you can find the right entrance, they'll carry the boat right through. So we didn't have to worry about visibility in the first place!"

"Gahahaha! Yeah, that's our navigator for you!" Usopp yelled confidently as Foxy cursed to himself.

"I had a feeling you had a plan," I said smiling at Nami.

"But their exultation is cut short! After the reef is the "Long Ring" whirlpool!" Tubiflex said, reminding us of what was ahead.

"What the hell? It's even elongated at the bottom! Gyaaaaaa!" Usopp said worriedly.

"Stop shouting, Usopp..." Nami said calmly as I jumped back out and began to run again. "Kakusei can keep us going. Otherwise we'll be sucked down."

"...no wonder you were so relaxed," Usopp said shaking in fear. "You counted on this from the very start... GYAAAAA!"

"The Barrel Tiger accelerates again! Kakusei is putting everything he`s got into this!" Tubiflex said anxiously. "Wait, it's not just accelerating..." he said as I leapt into the air and began to fly, pulling the Barrel Tiger along with me. "…it's flying! It's shooting right over "Long Cape"! And they've landed! The Barrel Tiger pulls off an incredible TURNAROUND! They're now FAR in the lead! Will the invincible Cutie Wagon finally know defeat?"

"We may have underestimated them a bit, Porche-chan! Hang on tight!" Kapoty said aloud.

"Do it!" Porche said in response.

"UNITE! "TWO FISH ENGINE"!" Kapoty called out as Monda bit down on Kapoty`s legs.

"Uh-oh, they haven't lost yet! With fishman muscle and shark fins, the engine power is doubled!" Tubiflex proclaimed. "They're crushing the coral and blazing through the waves! We're well into the race, now! The Barrel Tiger is moving frantically!

"Aaah, look out!" Usopp said fearing the pillars of water that kept popping up in front of us.

"What's with these pillars of water?" Nami asked sarcastically as I weaved the boat in between them.

"They pass through the high-soaring Long Breaking Waves!" Tubiflex announced. We got closer and closer to the goal, all the while ignoring Foxy`s stupid tricks.

After the fake goal thing, I yelled, "Cut the crap, you retarded turnip-head bastard!" and caused him to go into a deeper depression mode. That made my day.

"Look, the goal's right ahead of us! We can pull away!" Nami said as I ran towards the goal.

"The first round of Davy Back Fight, "Donuts Race"…" Tubiflex yelled getting the crowd riled up. "…is heading into the final straightaway!" Foxy just ran up besides us, probably to do a stupid trick again. "WHO WILL BE THE VICTOR?" Tubiflex said bringing the crowd into suspense.

"Nami's team is winning! YAHOOO!" Luffy said excitedly.

"NAMI-SAAAAN!" Sanji said doing his heart dance. "You're beautiful even when you're speeding!"

"Hey! Tactician!" Foxy said gaining my attention while I was running. "You've caused me a lotta trouble!"

"Him again," Nami said annoyed at Foxy`s behavior in the Davy Back Fight.

"Too bad for you guys," one of the Foxy Pirates said to Luffy.

"Why? We're winning!" Luffy said in our defense.

"Gyahaha, for now..." the pirate continued, "…but watch! Here comes the Boss! Just like you, our Boss... has "Devil Fruit" powers."

Then my memory of Foxy`s power came back. "Shit, he`s gonna…" I said as I turned towards Foxy to see him posing for his attack.

"NORO NORO BEAM!" Foxy cried out as he shot a beam of light at us. One instant, I`m looking at Foxy doing that, the next, he`s gone, and we lost!

"Goddammit!" I cursed at the top of my lungs. "Loyalty or not, I`m gonna kick his ass after this is over!"

**-X-**

One game down, two to go. What new tricks will arise in the next game?

And for as why I`m calling Foxy a turnip-head, just look at his head! It looks like a turnip got cut in two!

Next chapter, we play ball!

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	19. Chapter 19

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 19: Play Ball**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

**Slowing Things down a Bit**

**-X-**

Well, we got back to the goal, and everyone began asking if we were okay and what happened. How in hell`s name do you go about beginning to describe what just happened to us? It was like after we got hit by Foxy`s attack, we had been given a slug`s speed. Or like someone just loaded our bodies full of painkillers and we were on an acid trip (I have no idea what that`s actually like for your information.). Everything around us just sped up.

"You aren't hurt, are you?" Chopper asked us as he looked us over.

"Besides my wounded pride, yes," I answered glaring at Foxy.

"What did they do?" Luffy asked.

"Ooh! A toast to our victory!" Porche said happily. Man, I hated that voice.

"Fwehhh fweh fweh... nothing to be mystified about," Foxy said smugly. "It was because of "Noroma Photons"!" (A/N: Noroma means "slow" or "stupid" and Foxy ate the Noro Noro no Mi.)

"Hey, what the hell did you do to Nami-san's team?" Sanji asked aloud and angrily.

"Noroma Photons...?" Usopp asked.

"I think I can explain," I said still glaring at Foxy. "That turnip-headed bastard is a devil fruit user."

"What?" my crewmates yelled in shock as Foxy went into his depression mode again.

"He ate the Noro Noro no Mi, and the devil fruit let`s him create these Noroma photons which are special particles of light that are completely uncategorized," I continued slowly. "Anything hit by these photons, and I mean anything, retains its energy, but slows down for 30 seconds."

"That`s a retarded power!" Luffy yelled at Foxy sending him into a deeper depression. That never gets old.

"They yelled at me..." Foxy said as he sat on his hands and knees depressed.

"No, Boss!" Porche said trying to cheer him up.

"To put it simply, anything that light hits slows down," I said dumbing down the explanation for Luffy.

"Oh, well that makes sense, then," Luffy said getting the idea now.

"Ever since I ate the "Noro Noro no Mi, I've been able to emit Noroma photons from my body! I became a "Noroma Human"!" Foxy said arrogantly. "But don't take it from me, JUST WATCH!" Then Foxy had Hamburg fire a cannonball at him and he used his powers to slow it down, but was too stupid to get out of the way before it sped back up. I burst out laughing and had to hold my stomach cause I was laughing too hard.

"What a retard!" I said in between laughing.

"Again with the retard thing…" Foxy said depressed again.

"Boss!" Porche said trying to cheer him up again.

"Damn, so that's what got us..." Usopp said.

"If he uses that thing in a race...!" Nami said realizing his trickery.

"No wonder they had so much confidence coming into this...!" Sanji said realizing their motives. "What a ridiculous power...!"

"Now do you understand? YOU LOST!" Porche said aggressively.

"WE WON! THE FIRST ROUND, "DONUTS RACE"!" Foxy said a bit battered from the cannonball.

"Uh-oh! Too bad!" Porche said in a mocking tone.

**-X-**

**The Trust of a Friend**

**-X-**

"THE FIRST ROUND IS OVER! The moment you've been waiting for! Spoils of war! Go ahead, Boss!" Tubiflex announced for all to hear. "Pick out the enemy crewmember you'd like!"

"The one I wanted the most out of the entire crew WAS YOU...!" Foxy said as he pointed t Chopper. "THE DOCTOR! TONY TONY CHOPPER!"

"ME?" Chopper said shocked at Foxy`s choice.

"Oh no...! Chopper!" Nami said worried for Chopper. Boy, I felt sorry for Chopper. Both Foxy and Porche were acting like he was a pet.

"CHOPPER!" Luffy yelled worried for Chopper.

"So Chopper was the one he was after," Sanji said. "Come to think of it, he does seem like a rare pet."

"Does he have a thing for rare pets?" Nami asked.

"Maybe he has a thing for rare pelts," Robin said darkly.

"IS THIS REALLY THE TIME FOR JOKES? IT ISN'T FUNNY, YOU GUYS!" Usopp yelled at Luffy, Nami, Sanji, and Robin. "He took our crewmate!"

"GUYZZZ!" Chopper said through his tears.

"Come now, Dr. Chopper! You're our medic, now!" Foxy said as some of his crewmates came closer to Chopper with a Foxy Pirate mask. "Swear loyalty to me! Put the mask on him!"

"Hold it!" I yelled at Foxy and his crew, easily gaining their attention while exuding Haki. Okay, so I don`t have the best control over my Haki, but at least I can use it, right? "Foxy, there`s still two more events left," I said as I walked on stage. "He doesn`t have to swear loyalty until the Davy Back Fight is over!"

"Ah! Kakusei!" Chopper said happy I was standing up for him.

"Fweh fweh fweh!" Foxy said arrogantly. "What makes you think you can say that in such confidence? You guys have no experience in Davy Back Fights, and you`ve already lost a crew member. Why shouldn`t he swear loyalty to me?"

"Chopper..." Usopp said slowly.

"Because, I have faith in my nakama," I said still exuding Haki and making a majority of Foxy`s crew fear me, including Foxy himself. "If you won`t decide because of that, then how about we make a bet?"

"A bet?" Foxy said interested. "Now you`re talking. So what`re the terms?"

"Kakusei, what the hell are you doing?" Nami said worried I might do something stupid.

"Three conditions first: You don`t make Chopper swear loyalty until after the Davy Back fight is over, neither of us interferes in the next event, and if either of us or our team breaks this deal, their side automatically loses the bet," I said loudly and calmly. "If we lose this next game, I`ll join your crew regardless of whether you pick me or not."

"Kakusei…" Chopper said slowly as he was tearing up in awe at my confidence in our nakama. "Sniff...!"

"Fweh fweh fweh!" Foxy laughed at my apparently idiotic notion. "And what happens if your crew wins the next game?"

"If we win the next game, I get to raid your ship for any supplies I deem necessary and I can take up to half your treasure," I said calmly and smiling devilishly.

"Kakusei!" Nami said astonished I`d make such a deal.

"Fweh fweh fweh, it`s a deal!" Foxy said as he and I shook on it, and a few of his crewmates took pictures for evidence. I quickly snatched up the pictures using the wind to grab them from the holders without moving one step. I held them all in one hand and stared right at Foxy with a blank look on my face. "What, don`t you trust me?"

"No, in fact I don`t," I said calmly. "I am a man of my word, and I will hold up my end of the deal should we lose. I`m not too sure about you though, so I want to have the evidence."

"That`s fine," Foxy said as he walked back to his side of the field.

"_Sucker,"_ I said in my mind as I walked off the stage and pressed something in my pocket.

"YOU GUYZZZ! I... AH... I DON' WANNA GO!" Chopper yelled out through his tears. "I went to sea because I was with you! Luffy! I joined the crew because you invited me to! I don't wanna be with these people-"

"QUIT YOUR BELLYACHING, CHOPPER!" Zoro said after taking a swig from his beer bottle. "IT'S PATHETIC!"

"Zoro!" Chopper said shocked at Zoro`s response.

"Coming to the sea was your own choice and responsibility! Whatever end you come to on the sea depends on YOU! You can't fault anyone else!" Zoro said as he slowly stood up. "We accepted this game! Usopp's team gave it their all. Hell, Kakusei`s risking his spot on the crew so you don`t have to put that mask on yet, and he`s the one who made the line-up! What kind of pirate is going to be sympathetic to your tears if your crewmate is showing that kind of confidence in us?"

"Zoro?" everyone but Sanji and I said aloud.

"If you're a man..." Zoro said slowly. "YOU SIT TIGHT, BE QUIET AND WATCH THIS MATCH!"

"You can't be serious...!" Nami said shocked at Zoro`s statement. "Why don't you consider his feelings?" Thanks to that speech, Chopper straightened out and sat with a determined look on his face.

"GOOD!" Zoro said as he began walking towards the field. "Get the second round started, already!" Then the Foxy pirates went on and on how Foxy would probably pick Zoro next.

"Go Zoro! You better win this round, dammit!" Usopp yelled cheering Zoro on.

"Get Chopper back!" Luffy yelled as well.

"Kakusei said it best..." Sanji said calmly as he lit a cigarette. "We still have two rounds left. We can get our precious EMERGENCY RATION source... and something extra to boot..."

"Sanji! Zoro!" I yelled getting both their attentions. I motioned for them to come over to me, and they did after glaring at each other. "You guys remember what I said, right?"

"Yeah," they both replied in unison.

"Well, we still need to hold back against these guys," I said quietly, "but if it comes down to it, go all out and kick their asses. We need to get Chopper back. You guys both remember the signal?" In response they both nodded. "Good. Now get out there and kick their asses." The Tubiflex explained the whole deal that the Foxy pirates had the advantage now that Chopper wasn`t participating in this round. The whole "No Changing the Line-Up" thing again. That didn`t bug me though. I made the line-up this way for a reason. And Sanji and Zoro started arguing, as usual.

**-X-**

**Round 2: Groggy Ring**

**-X-**

"There is no way those two will have any teamwork..." Nami said a bit annoyed at their fighting.

"They`ll pull through," I said standing next to Nami. "You trust my judgment right?" Then Nami looked at Sanji and Zoro continuing to fight.

"It`s not you I`m worried about…" she said a sweat drop forming on her head.

"Now, let me explain the rules of the "Groggy Ring"!" Tubiflex said as Zoro and Sanji continued to argue, "There are two goals on the field! Toss your ball into the goal, and you win! However, the "ball" is not actually a ball! IT'S A PERSON! First off, each team must choose who will be the ball!"

"Hey, which one's gonna be the ball?" one of the Foxy Pirates asked aloud.

"Him," Zoro said immediately, and then a Foxy pirate placed a leather head strap on Sanji`s head with a white and red striped ball on top.

"Hmm?" Sanji mumbled confused at what was going on.

"There's your ball!" another Foxy pirate said.

"HEY, THAT'S NOT FOR YOU TO DECIDE! YOU SHOULD BE THE BALL, STUPID MARIMO!" Sanji said as some music started playing. "Huh?"

"Ooh, I can hear their introduction theme being played!" Tubiflex said as the crowd got louder and louder. "The undefeated masters of the "Groggy Ring"! That's right! It's IMPOSSIBLE for them to lose! Yes, the "Groggy Monsters" are walking onto the field...! HERE THEY ARE!"

"Wow! What are THOSE?" Luffy said looking at Sanji and Zoro`s opponents.

"In front, the master of the four-foot dash, Hamburg!" Tubiflex said over the loudspeaker. " Next is the "Tackling Machine," Pickles!" Pickles was a large husky guy wearing green clothes. He had relatively long arms and relatively short legs in comparison to his body. He also had a hippo-like face. On his shoulders, he wore round shoulder pauldrons, which are shoulder pads which look like shields. In size, Pickles was larger than Hamburg and smaller than the last guy. "And last, the half-giant, half-fishman! The "Wotan," Big-Pan!" Big-Pan was a gigantic Wotan (a half-fishman, half-giant) that towered over any of us. His Fishman qualities stood out very noticeably. He had a pattern running down his arms and shoulders, sharp teeth, and an orange dorsal fin made of his hair. His giant qualities stood out easily too. He had orange hair and a beard to match, and incredible size. He wore a yellow Speedo, boots and gloves together with the standard Foxy Pirate mask.

"Holy shit," I said staring at our opponents. Now mind you, I never saw how big a giant is in this world, so the Big-Pan was the biggest person I`ve seen at this point.

"It's a regular lineup of MONSTERS!" Tubiflex announced. "LET THE SECOND ROUND, "GROGGY MONSTERS," BEGIIIIN!"

"What is that huge fishman?" Nami asked in shock.

"And he's the ball!" Usopp said scared out of his mind.

"Fweh fweh fweh! Let's see if you can win!" Foxy said smugly as he looked at my expression.

"Any problems?" Sanji asked Zoro.

"Nope," Zoro replied.

"Up against our proud and mighty Groggy Ring commandos are the "berserk cook" who crushed our Interference Squad in the first round, Sanji!" Tubiflex said announcing Sanji.

"Call me a first-rate cook..." Sanji said a bit angry at Tubiflex`s comment.

"And the sixty million Berry bounty, the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro!" Tubiflex said rounding up the line-up for the Groggy Ring.

"What kind of opponent were you espectin', since they needed us to show up? Eeheehee!" Pickles said laughing. "Right Big-Pan?"

"Huh?" Big-Pan said not hearing Pickles.

"Pffffft! Pffpfpffpff! He can't hear you," Hamburg said laughing.

"Who are these guys?" Sanji asked.

Then the referee flipped a coin for ball or field choice, and Hamburg chose ball. We didn`t care for sides, so it didn`t matter. Then the players were told to take their places.

"Get in your spot, "ballman"," Zoro said calmly to Sanji.

"Hey, you can't decide that on your own! I never said I would be the ball!" Sanji said annoyed as he pointed to the ball on his head. "I'm not wearin' this stupid-ass thing!"

"Shut up and stop complaining!" Zoro said annoyed at Sanji as usual. "Ooh, nice ball! Where'd you get it?"

"YOU CAN'T FOOL ME THAT WAY, MORON!" Sanji said angrily at Zoro.

"ZORO, SANJI, IT'S ALL UP TO YOU!" Luffy yelled at them.

"Get Chopper back for us!" Usopp said crying. "There's no other hope, I'm sorry! Please!"

"That's the first time I've ever seen a "Wotan" before," Nami said looking at Big-Pan.

"It doesn't seem as large as a pure-blooded giant," Robin said calmly.

"I wouldn`t know," I commented calmly as well. "Never seen a giant in person."

"Fweh fweh fweh, your cheers will mean nothing in the end," Foxy said appearing out of nowhere. "Because my team is made of experts at Groggy Ring!"

"What do you want, Split-head?" Luffy asked sending Foxy in depression mode.

"No, Boss! Stop that, Straw-Hat!" Porche said scolding Luffy.

"He said it again..." Foxy said depressed then snapping out of it. "I don't think I even NEEDED to interfere with this match. I'll just sit back and watch. You got a problem with that, or do you want our deal to be broken?"

"You can interfere with this game, too?" Nami said shocked at this idea.

"As with ANY game, you fool! However..." Foxy said slowly, "some people want to win so bad they'll mess with their own team mates, and some are just plain interested in the battle itself. It depends on how you feel. If anyone should call themselves a pirate and still complain about it, others begin to wonder if they're really fit to live the pirate lifestyle, hmm?"

"What kind of excuse is that?" Nami said yelling at Foxy.

"The excuse of a cheating turnip head," I said just to see Foxy go into his depression mode. It worked.

"And what's wrong with your team?" Foxy said snapping out of his depression. "If you can even CALL it a team!"

"Be quiet! When the match starts, they'll be ready to..." Nami said as she looked over at Sanji and Zoro and saw they were still fighting.

"Hey, you just showed yours a second late!" Sanji said yelling at Zoro.

"No I didn't! I won fair and square! Like in everything else," Zoro said in response.

"Stop trying to change the subject!" Sanji said still angry at Zoro. "I'm talking about janken (rock, paper, scissors)!"

"C'mon, dammit, just choose your ballman already!" Pickles said annoyed at the pair fighting.

"They still haven't decided yet?" Nami said amazed they were still fighting.

"Yep," I said calmly. "Nami, if you wouldn`t mind…"

"Sanji-kun, that ball looks lovely on you!" Nami said getting what I wanted her to do.

"YES! I AM THE BALLMAN! I WAS BORN TO PLAY THIS ROLE!" Sanji said now enthusiastically.

"Seriously, you look great, just like a prince," Zoro said complementing Sanji. How unlike him. "The Prince of Retardia." There`s the normal Zoro we all know and tolerate. And with that comment, Zoro and Sanji started swinging attacks at each other, Zoro with his swords and Sanji with his legs.

"START THE GAME ALREADY!" Usopp yelled at Sanji and Zoro.

"Hey you, weapons are against the rules! Take off the swords!" The ref said to Zoro as he took his swords.

"That's right! This is a sport, so any kind of weapons are forbidden!" Tubiflex explained.

"Either way's fine with me...!" Zoro said slamming his knuckles together.

"Hey... you gonna be okay? A master swordsman without his swords..." Sanji said almost sounding sincere.

"Is what?" Zoro queried.

"Better than you, moss head," Sanji said sounding like his old self. Then they started fighting again.

"KNOCK IT OFF, YOU TWO!" Usopp yelled at them.

"Finally, we're ready! The Straw-Hat team's ballman Sanji has entered the opponent's circle!" Tubiflex announced as Sanji went to the enemy side of the field.

"Hope you get squashed flat, cook," Zoro said calmly.

"Shut up!" Sanji said angrily in response. Then the Foxy Pirates started cheering on their team mates, and our opponents started laughing for no reason.

"So, let's keep the fun rolling! No time limit! One point game!" Tubiflex announced.

"So basically I have to knock that huge thing's head into the ring on the other side, and we win...! If the cook's head goes into the ring behind me, we lose...!" Zoro said outlining what they needed to do.

"Will the Straw-Hat team be able to regain the reindeer they lost in the first round?" Tubiflex asked everyone.

"Damn right we will," I yelled loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Crush 'em!" the Foxy Pirates yelled loudly.

"Or will the Foxy Team gain another member? It's time for the Groggy Ring!" Tubiflex announced. "Here goes the whistle!" **TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!** "LET THE GAME BEGIN! What will the ballman Sanji do in the opponent's circle? Pull back, or attack?" Pickles then tried to tackle Sanji, but Sanji just jumped over him and went straight for Big-Pan. However Sanji`s attack failed cause he couldn`t get any traction on Big-Pan`s arm where he landed, as he was half-mudfish fishman.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? YOU IDIOT! Attack!" Zoro said yelling at Sanji, who was still trying to run on Big-Pan`s arm.

"What? Who did you just call an idiot, jackass?" Sanji yelled at Zoro in response.

"PUNK PASS!" Big-Pan yelled as he slammed Sanji off his arm with a strong palm thrust.

"Gwaah!" Sanji said in pain as he flew to the opposite side of the field.

"There it is! Big-Pan's special extra-long pass!" Tubiflex said excited.

"UWAAAH! SANJI!" Luffy yelled in fear for Sanji`s safety.

"Hamburg, the leader, rushes around to the landing point!" commented Tubiflex. "As does Roronoa!"

"If you get tossed in the goal, I'll cut you dead!" Zoro yelled at Sanji.

"Shut up! Stop your whining!" Sanji said as he sailed through the air.

"CLEAN UP TACKLE!" Pickles said as he slammed Zoro with his armored shoulder.

"Pickles cuts Roronoa off!" Tubiflex announced.

"Aaah!" Zoro yelled in pain.

"Pickles rushes into enemy territory!" Tubiflex narrated. "Hamburg leaps into the air and catches Sanji! And then..."

"Pff! Gorilla Throw!" Hamburg said said he chucked Sanji across the field.

"aaaaAAAA!" Sanji screamed as he flew towards the goal.

"I got it, I got it," Pickles said calmly.

"Pickles is ready and waiting!" Tubiflex narrated. "But here's a counterattack! Roronoa rushes to head Pickles off!"

"Wait, you bastard!" Zoro said rushing Pickles.

"SPINNING TACKLE!" Pickles said as he spun around quickly deflecting Zoro, and at the same time, knocking Sanji into the air.

"Huh? Uagh!" Zoro said in pain after being knocked away.

"Uwaaaah!" Luffy said in shock.

"Sanjiiii!" Usopp yelled shocked as well.

"Aaaaaaa!" Nami said imagining how much that must hurt.

"Holding up the back line is the formidable Big-Pan!" Tubiflex said as Big-Pan ran to where Hamburg was falling.

"PUNK RECEIVE!" Big-Pan said as he bumped Hamburg back into the air as if he were a volleyball.

"He bumps the falling Hamburg through the air!" Tubiflex said excitedly. "Hamburg grabs Sanji in midair! HERE IT IS! The ring is within range!"

"That stupid freakin' eyebrow!" Zoro said as he charged at Pickles.

"Game over! It's the Hamburger Dunk!" the Foxy Pirates cheered.

"GYAAAAAA!" Chopper yelled in fear of being lost to his friends forever.

"Huh? What are you...!" Pickles said as he realized Zoro had grabbed his leg.

"ZORO, SANJI, DO SOMETHING!" both Luffy and Usopp yelled in panic.

"Wha...? Wha...?" Pickles said as Zoro began to lift him by his leg.

"Is it over already?" Tubflex asked over the loudspeakers.

"You don't have to tell me..." Zoro said slowly as he spun Pickles around in a circle. "I'm not letting up any goals!"

"AAAAH? AAAAAH!" Pickles said as Zoro got ready to throw him.

"DORYAAAAA!" Zoro grunted as he chucked Pickles at Hamburg.

"This game's not over," Sanji said breathing a bit heavily as he grabbed Hamburg`s arms. "I'm still perfectly fine! If you think I'm gonna let that stupid swordsman save my ass... YOU BETTER THINK AGAIN!" Sanji kicked Hamburg right into the path of Pickles, making them collide head-on and knocking them both out and out of the ring.

"NO GOAL! It doesn't look like the ballman Sanji is going to make it easy to score!" Tubiflex announced excitedly.

"What the hell was that for?" Sanji asked Zoro angrily.

"Cause you're spending too much time getting bashed around in the air!" Zoro replied also angrily.

"We've got two guys here who can meet the Groggy Monsters, power for power! This is sure to be one MONSTROUS game! The stands are in an uproar! The Straw-Hat team is mighty!"

"Don't get confused thinking I need YOU to help me out!" Sanji said to Zoro still angry.

"I did that cause you're not trustworthy enough!" Zoro replied also still angry.

"Those guys are amazing!" the Foxy Pirates commented. "They threw Pickles! And knocked away Hamburg-san!" Foxy just stood there with an "Oh shit!" look on his face.

"Oh no! What are you doing, Hamburg? You'd better not lose!" Porche said as she hugged Chopper tightly.

"What's this? Is something wrong with the Straw-Hat team?" Tubiflex asked as he looked at Sanji and Zoro arguing. "Both ballmen are on the field! The game is still going, but they're fighting like nothing else is happening!"

"Ahahaha, oh those guys are so silly," Luffy said laughing at Sanji and Zoro.

"Zoro, Sanji, you idiots! This is your chance!" Usopp said yelling at Sanji and Zoro. "Only their ballman is left! Work together and knock him into the ring!"

"Huh?" both Sanji and Zoro said at the same time. "WHOA!" They both noticed Big-Pan`s foot hovering above them.

"Big-Pan sees his chance to attack!" Tubiflex announced as Sanji and Zoro dodged Big-Pan`s stomping attack.

"Wh-?" Zoro said in response.

"What the...?" Sanji said confused as well.

"TOO BAD DANCE!" Big-Pan said as he began stomping around the field as Zoro and Sanji ran away from him. "Bushishi! Bushishishi! Bushishi!" (A/N: Big Pan`s laugh.)

"Aaaah!" Zoro said while running.

"Gyaaah!" Sanji said while running alongside Zoro.

"WHY ARE YOU RUNNING? HE'S THE BALL!" Usopp said bugging out.

"We know that! But look! He's got knives on the soles of his boots...!" Zoro said drawing attention to the rows of knives on the soles of Big-Pan`s boots.

"Huh?" Usopp said now noticing Big-Pan`s boots.

"Hey, Ref! I thought there were no weapons allowed!" Sanji yelled at the ref while he was running. And the ref just looked away and whistled.

"What the hell is he doing?" Usopp asked loudly.

"Too bad, he just HAPPENS to be looking the other direction," Foxy said smugly.

"Happens my ass," I said a bit peeved at the unfair ref. Well, he was a Foxy pirate after all.

"SCREW THAT!" Sanji said as he kicked his shoe off and it hit the ref. Everyone was shocked at that including the ref. I saw it coming.

"NO, SANJI-KUN!" Nami said trying to get Sanji to calm down.

"YOU SAW THAT!" Sanji yelled at the ref angrily as Usopp held him back and I came back with his shoe. "WHAT'S WITH THAT WATERFALL OF SWEAT POURING DOWN YOUR FACE?"

"Stop, stop, he's the referee!" Usopp said as he held Sanji back.

"I... didn't... see... nothing`," the ref said calmly but slowly with a huge lump now protruding from his head.

"LIAR!" Sanji yelled angrily.

"Yellow card to Sanji, Straw-Hat Team!" the ref said as he held up his yellow card and blew his whistle.

"WHAT THE HELL-?" Sanji said annoyed.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Usopp said trying to calm Sanji down. The ref then held up a yellow card.

"There's a warning yellow card! If Sanji receives another one, it'll be a red card and he'll be kicked out of the game!" Tubiflex announced.

"KICKED OUT?" Sanji said upset.

"Here`s your shoe back, Sanji," I said as I tossed him his shoe.

"And what kind of a dirty cheating scum would dare to attack a referee?" Tubiflex asked over the loudspeakers.

"SHUT UP, OR YOU'RE NEXT!" Sanji yelled at him still quite, in a word, pissed off.

"Yes folks, he's one sick bastard," Tubiflex said calmly taking shots at our integrity.

"Still, he's using a weapon..." Sanji said looking at Big-Pan, who was now chasing Zoro while swinging an axe for his size.

"HEY, IS HE ALLOWED TO USE THAT?" Zoro asked the ref angrily.

"LOOK, REF!" Sanji said angrily to the ref, who was again looking away. "HE'S USING AN AXE! A FREAKING AXE!"

"Don't see it," the ref said while still sweating bullets. "Coincidence."

"Forget about it, you don't want to get ejected!" Usopp said trying to get Sanji to focus back on the game.

"I can`t take this crap anymore!" Sanji said still steaming.

"By not getting angry!" Usopp said trying to calm Sanji down. "That's just what they want! This is for Chopper's sake, chill out!"

"Okay, I'll go sock him a good one," Luffy said getting ready for a punch.

"Don`t make things any more complicated, Luffy," I said as I grabbed his shoulder. He backed off getting my reasoning.

"Just win, Sanji-kun!" Nami said spurring Sanji on.

"I WILL!" Sanji said as he made a "Love Pose". He knelt down on one leg and held his hands in a heart shape while looking at Nami with a heart in his visible eye.

"I will never understand you," Usopp said with a sweat drop on the back of his head.

"He`s a sucker for a pretty face," I said quietly to Usopp so Sanji couldn`t hear me and focus on the game.

"Back to the game!" Sanji said still in his "Love Pose". And he ran right back besides Zoro, continuing where he left off.

"Did he have to be that literal?" I asked as I face-palmed myself.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO CONTINUE WHERE YOU LEFT OFF!" Usopp said angrily.

"This is getting us nowhere!" Sanji yelled while running.

"If I'd counted on them having weapons from the start... I would have kept mine," Zoro said while running as well.

"IT'S TIME TO STRIKE BACK!" Sanji said as he and Zoro turned around.

"DON'T GET IN MY WAY, I CAN HANDLE HIM MYSELF!" Zoro said as he and Sanji charged at Big-Pan.

"Here they go, they`re about to collide!" Tubiflex said as Sanji and Zoro got closer to Big-Pan.

"Work together! You're a team!" Nami said loud enough for them to hear. They tried to attack Big-Pan, but he dove to the ground and Sanji and Zoro jumped over him to avoid his arms.

"LOACH-SCOOP SLIDING!" Big-Pan said as Zoro and Sanji jumped over him.

"Crap," Sanji said as he realized what Big-Pan was doing.

"Aaaargh!" Zoro said as he slid along Big-Pan`s arm.

"LOACH RACING CIRCUS!" Big-Pan said as he contorted his body into a wheel shape.

"Uwaaah!" Zoro said as he slid onto his back, completely at the mercy of Big-Pan.

"There it is! The acrobatic "Racing Circus"! They're stuck sliding around on his slippery back!" Tubiflex revealed to those of us who didn`t know what Big-Pan was doing.

"HEH! Can't make me fall for this one again," Sanji said confidently. "It's just like ice-skating!"

"Now they can't get away!" Tubiflex announced. Looking closer I could see what he meant. Sanji and Zoro were caught in a slimy loop, forcing them to slide around and around like they were stuck in a rollercoaster loop.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I'm getting dizzy," they said as they slid around.

"COME ON YOU GUYS, SERIOUSLY!" Usopp yelled at Sanji and Zoro.

"At least they didn`t say something like, "This is fun"," I said in response to Usopp`s comment.

"During this time, the other two players have gotten back on their feet!" I looked and saw that Hamburg and Pickles had gotten up. "But what's this? Do they look different to you?" Yes, they did. Hamburg was wearing a pair of metal elbow guards and brass knuckles. Pickles was wearing spiked shoulder guards over his shoulders. "Weapons are against the rules, as we know! But the referee just so happens to be stretching now, so he's got his back to the game!" Man, this biased ref was beginning to piss me off.

"Bushishishi," Big-Pan laughed. "Here we go. "LOACH COASTER"!" He uncurled and sent Zoro and Sanji into the air towards Hamburg and Pickles.

"Whoaa-! AAAAAH!" Sanji said looking dizzy.

"My eyes... spinning too hard!" Zoro said with what looked to be spirals in place of his eyes. Then Hamburg jumped near Pickles' shoulder.

"Spinning Tackle!" Pickles said as he spun around quickly again, launching Hamburg into the air.

"The newly-returned players strike back!" Tubiflex commented. Then Hamburg flew up above Zoro and slammed him into the ground with his "Hamburg Hammer" attack. Quickly following this, Bug-Pan jumped above Hamburg, who had one of the elbow guards in front of him, and spiked him into Zoro`s stomach with his "Punk Attack". Almost immediately after that when Big-Pan landed, Pickles jumped into Big-Pan`s mouth, and faced Sanji. Big-Pan quickly spit him out, making their "Human Cannon" tactic, and Pickles flew right at Sanji, who was on the ground nauseous from sliding around on Big-Pan`s back and arms. Sanji was knocked into the air by Pickles' "Sling Tackle" Attack, and then the Groggy Monsters executed their "S-M-L" combo on Sanji.

Hamburg jumped into the air where Sanji was flying. "Small!" he cried out as he punched Sanji into the path of Pickles, who was away from the goal.

"Medium!" Pickles cried out as he bounced Sanji off his spiked shoulder into the air.

Then Big-Pan jumped above Sanji and slammed him into the ground, and yelled out, "Large!"

"The Groggy Monsters put together a mind-boggling chain attack!" Tubiflex announced.

"That was awful..." Nami said as she stared at Sanji and Zoro`s unconscious bodies in fear and disgust.

"ZORO! SANJI!" Luffy cried out in fear for his friends` lives. Usopp didn`t say anything because he was half-passed out. Robin didn`t say anything because she had probably seen worse. I kept quiet because I knew I`d seen worse, but that was brutal and completely uncalled for.

"Unngggggg...!" Chopper groaned from where he sat.

"They won't be getting up anytime soon!" Tubiflex commented on the state of Sanji and Zoro.

"Fweh fweh fweh!" Foxy laughed. "Soon I`ll have three new crewmates!"

"The Straw-Hat must be feeling GROGGY RIGHT ABOUT NOW!" Tubiflex said making a horrible pun.

"Gyahahahaha!" The Foxy Pirates yelled out.

"All we have to do now is drop their ballman into that ring-shaped coffin!" Tubiflex commented. "That'll be our second victory! INVINCIBLE! The Groggy Monsters are just TOO strong!"

"Wahahaha! We win again!" The Foxy Pirates cried out as Hamburg, Pickles, and Big-Pan basked in their apparent victory.

Nami looked at me, and immediately became angry (But not as angry as she usually was. This was more of a justified and caring anger.). "How the hell can you just stand there like that?" she asked as she grabbed my shirt with one hand, and started punching my chest weakly. "You`re the one who set this line-up up." She kept punching my chest, and began to cry. "You should feel the worst out of all of us for SENDING THEM TO THEIR GRAVES!" I grabbed her hand and she stopped crying, waiting to hear what I was going to say.

"Zoro! Sanji!" I yelled out as the Foxy Pirates looked at me.

"Why the hell are you calling out to them?" they said laughing at me. "They`re dead! Dead men tell no tales you know!"

"I know damn well you two are still alive out there!" I said loudly, and shocking a few of the Foxy Pirates. "And I also know you two had your heads so far up your asses about one-upping each other you forgot your real goal here! I`ve got two things to say to you two dumbasses right now! Get up and kick their asses!"

"What`s the other thing?" Usopp asked as Luffy smiled, knowing what I was gonna say. I took a deep breath…

**-X-**

**The Code Phrase**

**-X-**

Back when we were training (a few chapters ago), I had told the guys I wanted to put down a code phrase to let them know when to go all out with their Ki.

"Why the hell do we need a code phrase?" Sanji asked me. "We can use our own judgment on when to go all out with Ki."

"For once, you`re right, Ero-Cook," Zoro said agreeing with Sanji, and causing Sanji to get angry with Zoro.

"Settle down Sanji," I said calming him down a bit. "I want to set a code phrase because there will be time I can tell you whether or not to go all out with your Ki attacks. Unless you know how much Ki you`ll use in each attack, you can burn out quickly. That`s why I don`t use Ki in all my attacks."

"That makes sense," Chopper said smiling gently.

"So what`s the phrase?" Luffy asked.

"I`ve been thinking about that," I replied to Luffy`s question. "It has to be something I`d never say to you guys, especially not in a combat situation, so I`ve got a few in mind. The code phrase are "Luffy`s will never be the pirate king!", or…"

**-X-**

"Nami is damn sexy!" I yelled out loud, just before Nami punched me over the head making a new welt on my head.

"What the hell is your problem, Kakusei?" Nami said, now just plain angry. "First you go on this whole inspiring speech, then you say that to finish it off? Seriously, do you have a hole in your head or something?"

"Nope," Luffy said smiling. "He just said the code phrase."

"Code phrase?" Nami asked momentarily stopping her beating of me. She looked over at where Sanji and Zoro were lying on the ground in small pools of their own blood. "What for?"

"He just told them to go all out on these guys," Luffy said with his huge smile plastered on his face. Sanji and Zoro stood up slowly and the very air around them started to shift and get heavier.

"Hey Cook," Zoro said as the air around him seemed to crackle with electricity. "Help me out for about ten seconds."

"That sounds like the right amount," Sanji said, as the air around him seemed to heat up and dry out.

"Guys!" Chopper said as he got immediately happier after hearing the code phrase. "You`re alright!"

"They're standing! The Straw Hat team has stood up!" Tubiflex announced in shock that Zoro and Sanji were standing up. "Look at these two young toughs! Roronoa the swordsman! Sanji the cook! But what is this new strength they have found? And why the hell did the tactician, Kakusei say that perverted remark about Nami, the navigator?"

"YEAAAAAAAH!" Luffy yelled as his aura peaked up a bit, surprising the Foxy pirates, and Nami, Usopp, and Robin.

"THEY'RE UP! YOU BETTER BEAT THOSE GUYS, DAMMIT!" Usopp yelled at Sanji and Zoro.

"What`s going on?" Tubiflex yelled as he looked at the surrounding areas around Zoro and Sanji. "Roronoa seems to be exuding lightning! And Sanji seems to be heating up! Even the grass at their feet seems to be smoldering!" The Foxy Pirates looked on in fear and disbelief. "What is going on here? Are they truly monsters?"

"Does anyone here know what happens when a fire and lighting mix?" I asked standing up and looking at Sanji and Zoro. There was a short pause as everyone just looked at the two of them as well. "What happens is AN INFERNO BLAZES!"

**-X-**

Things are really starting to heat up in this shocking match!

We`ll deal more with the new techniques the guys picked up in later chapters, so stay tuned!

Next chapter, we wrap up this match!

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	20. Chapter 20

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 20: Play Ball Part 2**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

"What the hell do you mean by an inferno?" Nami said looking at Sanji and Zoro. "What are they doing?"

"They`re using what I taught them," I said remembering back to the training they endured.

**-X-**

**It`s Elementary!**

**-X-**

"So now that you guys have Ki control down, we can find out what elements you guys have natural affinities to," I said as I held up four Ki cards.

"Whoo-hoo!" Luffy and Chopper cheered.

"About time," Sanji said trying to light his cigarette.

"Finally," Zoro said with his devilish smile on his face.

I handed them each a Ki card, and told them to put some of their Ki into the cards. I also told them how the affinities worked with the cards. If they had a fire affinity, the card would ignite and turn to ash. If they had a wind affinity, the card would split in two. If they had a lightning affinity, the card would crumple up. If they had an earth affinity, the card would turn to dirt and crumble into dust. Finally, if they had a water affinity, the card would become wet or damp. Then they did as instructed.

"Mine crumpled up," Zoro said holding his out.

"Mine burned to ashes," Sanji said, holding the ashy remains of his card.

"Mine got wet," Chopper said proudly.

"Mine split in two," Luffy said proudly as well.

"That means Zoro has a lightning affinity, Sanji has a fire affinity, Chopper has a water affinity, and Luffy has a wind affinity like me," I said happily. "I was hoping we`d have all the elements here, but I guess we can do without an earth-user for now."

"So why did we need to do this?" Sanji asked.

"This will help us know which techniques you`re strongest with, and which one`s you`re weaker against, at least elemental wise," I said calmly. "So now, we can work on techniques like this!" I formed my Tatsumaki Ken as an example.

"Awesome!" Luffy and Chopper exclaimed with stars in their eyes. "We`ll be able to do that too!"

**-X-**

"I can`t lose this match," Foxy said quietly to himself. "Boys! One "Monster Burger", please!" All the Foxy Pirates went into shock.

"What...?" Nami said looking at the expressions on the Foxy Pirates faces.

"I wonder what that is..." Robin asked aloud.

"Not good by the looks of it," I said looking at their faces.

"My goodness! The boss has just ordered a Monster Burger!" Tubiflex announced almost panicking. "The Straw Hat team is in a major predicament now!"

"Fweh fweh fweh!" Foxy laughed loudly.

"Pffpffpff..." Hamburg said as he pulled a pair of giant steel clubs out of his pants. Ew. "It's time to mince the HAMBURGER!"

"Eeheehee!" Pickles said as he pulled a pair of swords his size out of his pants. Ow. "And slice the PICKLES!"

"WHO ARE THE GUESTS?" The Foxy Pirates chanted. "Green Lettuce and Yellow Cheese!"

"Wait a minute! What are those huge weapons for?" Nami said looking at the weapons that shouldn`t be in the game at all.

"Bushishi!" And I use this big pan to smash it flat!" Big-Pan said laughing.

"MONSTER BURGER!" the three Groggy monsters said in unison as they began to charge at Sanji.

"There it is! Their most deadly three-weapon attack!" Tubiflex announced. "There's no way to escape! This is clearly a penalty worthy of a red card!"

"But, oh no!" Tubiflex noticed. "Even at an important time like this, the referee is doing the Bridge stretching exercise, facing backwards!"

"What are you doing?" Luffy said getting ready to punch the ref.

"Wait, Luffy!" Usopp said trying to hold Luffy back.

"Who knows what might happen?" Tubiflex announced. "Wait what`s Roronoa doing?" Tubiflex`s announcement drew everyone`s attention to Zoro, who was creating more and more electricity, and then, once he had enough, he gripped the electricity and made three swords out of electricity, and held them as he did his normal swords.

"Rai Busou: Thunder Swords!" Zoro said getting into his sword stance, and the ref used his whistle, pausing the game.

"Foul! No weapons!" the ref said.

"Oh come on!" Usopp complained. "You notice our weapons, but not your own teams?"

"It`s not a weapon," I said calmly causing the ref to look at me. "It`s a technique which lets the user wield electricity in the form of a weapon."

"Wield electricity?" said everyone who heard me say that.

"That`s impossible," The ref said arguing with me.

"Oh really," I said making a sword out of wind and pointing the tip right in front of the ref`s face and grinning like a devil. "Then what do you call this sword made out of wind? I used this technique earlier and made a sword just like this. Would you like to test it to see how much of a sword it is?"

The ref was sweating more that a fat lady in a hot sauna. "N… no, no I wouldn`t," he said turning away from me. "Resume game!" he said nervously as he watched me out of the corner of his eye.

"They are, of course, going after Sanji the ballman!" Tubiflex said resuming his commentary. "Will he be minced, sliced and crushed into a hamburger patty?"

"PFFPFF! Get ready to be minced!" Hamburg said leading the charge against Sanji.

"Third-rate ingredients like you guys won't make for much a meal, but...!" Sanji said as he back flipped right in front of Hamburg`s face.

"Pff... he's fast..." Hamburg said as he began to feel the heat of Sanji`s aura. "And this heat!"

"Troisieme Hache Grillé! (Third-Rate Mincemeat Grilled)" Sanji said as he kicked Hamburg in the face, and leaving two foot-shaped burn marks on his face and leaving him screaming in pain as he dropped his clubs.

"AAAAAH!" Hamburg screamed as he grabbed his face in pain.

"Look out, Leader!" Pickles yelled as Sanji wound up for another attack while doing a handstand.

"Bouquetière Shot (Mixed Vegetables Shot)!" Sanji yelled as he kicked Hamburg up into the air and right into the path of Big-Pan`s pans, which he was banging together like a pair of cymbals.

"Oh no...! Hey Big-Pan! Stop the crushin'!" Pickles yelled trying to get Big-Pan to hear him.

"Huh?" Big-Pan said confused. Obviously he hadn`t heard Pickles, as he flattened Hamburg between his pans, leaving him comically flat and floating back down to the ground.

"Leader! How DARE you!" Pickles said as he resumes his spinning. "I`ll avenge him!"

"Don't forget, this is a team battle," Zoro said holding his lightning swords up. "And when it comes to swords, I won`t lose."

"Damn you!" Pickles continued as he hovered right over Zoro, ready to slash at his back. "I'll slice you up good!"

"Santoryuu: RAIRYUU TATSUMAKI! (Thunder Dragon`s Tornado)" Zoro said as he countered Pickles` spinning attack with a lightning-enhanced version of his Tatsumaki attack and sent Pickles` flying towards Big-Pan`s midsection, still spinning with blades extended and now, electrified.

"BUSHAAAAAA!" Big-Pan yelled in pain as the electricity Zoro used coursed through his body, and the blades from Pickle`s attack cut his midsection to ribbons.

"Aaah! Big-Pan! He just took Pickles' rotating attack full-on! And with that lightning too!" The Foxy Pirates said in shock of Zoro`s counterattack.

"Aaaaargh! What have I done? DAMMIT!" Pickles said cursing his actions and bleeding a bit from Zoro`s attack. He was unfazed by the electricity because it all went to Big-Pan.

As Big-Pan fell over, Sanji quickly slipped behind him and got ready to attack. "Anti-Manner Grillé KICK COURSE!" Sanji yelled as he kicked Big-Pan in the back with his heat-enhanced foot, causing his skin to dry out and the attack to do more damage.

"Bugaga... ga..." Was all Big-Pan could say as he was half-conscious at the moment.

"Oh! My! Before Big-Pan could fall over, he was kicked back into a standing position!" Tubiflex announced, shocked at this upset. "He's looking GROGGY on his feet! Now Roronoa the swordsman makes his move! Of course, he's heading for the ballman, Big-Pan!"

"Grr... Eeheehee! You're not gettin' by!" Pickles said to Zoro as he readied his swords for combat, not noticing Sanji behind him.

"Don't get in our way," Sanji said coldly. "You OR the ref."

"Huh?" Pickles said as Sanji got his attention before he got kicked right into the biased referee.

"A direct hit into the crowd..." Tubiflex noted at the attack Sanji just did, "no, into the referee!"

"Hahh...! That was clearly aggression...! Hahh... Against the referee..." The ref said panting heavily with an unconscious Pickles on top of him. "RED CAR... huh? My cards and whistle... Hahh... are gone..." He said before he passed out.

"It's an old habit of mine," Nami said as she pulled the red and yellow cards and the ref`s whistle out from between her boobs, which I noticed had grown bigger since the last time I got a good look at Nami`s figure.

"Old habits die hard, don`t they Nami?" I said slyly.

"Such a naughty girl..." Robin said calmly.

"And while only Big-Pan still stands, is the Straw Hat team fighting again?" Tubiflex commented as Zoro dispersed his swords and jumped on top of Sanji`s leg, which was in mid-swing.

"ARMEE DE L'AIR ROCKET SHOT! (Air Force Rocket Shot)" Sanji yelled as he kicked Zoro towards Big-Pan`s head, further speeding him with an added boost from some flames on the opposite side of his leg. Big-Pan could only groan as Zoro grabbed onto his upper row of teeth and began his descent, turning Big-Pan`s body over in the process.

"Wha-! Wha-! Big-Pan the Wotan's giant frame..." Tubiflex said as Big-Pan`s feet literally left the ground as he got flipped upside down.

"What the?"" The Foxy Pirates said in shock.

"No!" Porche said despairing over the loss of Chopper.

"…is flying through the air!" Tubiflex said finishing his sentence.

"GOOOO!" everyone cheered save for Robin.

"He's heading for the goal ring!" Tubiflex yelled more excitedly than ever.

"Ooooooooooh!" Zoro yelled as he prepared to dunk Big-Pan`s head into the goal.

"It can't be! Our invincible Groggy Monsters ARE LOSING!" The Foxy Pirates yelled in shock.

"Aaaaaahh!" Foxy screamed as he realized he not only lost the match, he also lost the bet with Kakusei. Big-Pan`s head landed with a **"THUD!"** as his ball landed perfectly into the goal. The Foxy Pirates were all stunned, and our crew was so happy and excited. Sanji smirked at Zoro in his way of saying "Not bad", and I had a big smirk on my face as I remembered the way it was done originally. It wasn`t nearly this cool.

"GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!" Tubiflex yelled at the top of his lungs.

**-X-**

**Victory**

**-X-**

"Yahooooo! We won!" Luffy yelled happily as he danced with Usopp.

"Yeaaaah! We won, dammit, we won! Yeaaaah!" Usopp said crying his eyes out.

"GAAA! GABAAA!" Chopper cried in happiness.

"Oh, no! We can't give Choppy back now!" Porche said hugging Chopper tightly.

"Yaaaaaaa, Dodo, Dandiii!" Chopper cried out through his tears. We all knew he was thanking Zoro and Sanji.

"Wow!" The Foxy pirate said, complimenting us. "They got moves I've never ever SEEN before! Where the hell did they learn how to do that?"

"Shut up! What kind of idiot compliments his enemies?" Foxy yelled at his crew.

"I'm cryin' here man, I really am. BRAVO, BRAAVOO!" The Foxy Pirates continued. A few even whistled for us.

"Grrrr, I can't believe this!" Foxy said ticked off a bit.

"Ah..." the biased ref said as he regained consciousness.

"Oh Ref, you're awake. Quick, blow the whistle," Nami said thinking quickly. "C'mon, hurry!"

"Oh... right!" The ref said quickly grabbing the whistle. "Their attitude and treatment towards the referee was a flagrant violation of the rules! I'll kick them right out of the game!"

**!**

"And there's the game-ending whistle!" Tubiflex announced almost happily. "THE GROGGY RING IS OVER!"

"Huh?" the ref said while looking astonished. He had no idea what just happened while he was out.

"Good going!" Nami said in her cutesy tone.

"In the Davy Back Fight Second Round," Tubiflex announced very enthusiastically, "the invincible Team Groggy Monsters were crushed and the game was conquered by THE STRAW HAT TEAM IN AN ASTOUNDING VICTORY!"

"Dammit dammit dammit, you guys had me so worried!" Usopp said yelling at Sanji and Zoro as they came back to join us, leaving the Groggy Monsters out on the field.

"Yeah, yeah, ow, ow," Zoro said holding his arm up to block Usopp`s chops at his head.

"Hahaha, 'course they won! They'd never lose!" Luffy said throwing his head back in laughter.

"They better not after what I put you all through," I said smiling slyly.

"Nami-swaaaaaan Robin-chwaaaan, did you see me?" Sanji asked Nami and Robin while doing his noodle-leg dance. "DO YOU LOVE ME?"

"You were fantastic," Robin said simply commenting Sanji.

"Now, the winners of the second round, the Straw Hat team, have the right to choose one of the Foxy Pirates crewmembers, or their symbol, the pirate flag!" Tubiflex announced. "WHICH ONE does the Straw Hats' captain want?"

"That's obvious," Luffy said bluntly. The Foxy Pirates all had an "Oh Shit, he`s gonna pick me" look on their faces.

"Luffy... hurry..." Chopper said almost suffocating under Porche`s hug.

"Okay, Chop-" Luffy said as Nami stopped him and the Foxy Pirates all face-planted into the ground.

"Wait a minute, Luffy!" Nami began. "The third round is a one-on-one fight between you and the Boss only. Which means if we select him now, they have to forfeit, we won't have to battle them, and we can take back Chopper, right?"

"T... THAT'S A DIRTY STRATEGY!" Tubiflex announced almost angry at Nami. All the Foxy Pirates started jeering at us. "It's hard to believe I'm listening to this woman state her devilish, inhuman plans! Nami the Navigator is the very definition of "twisted"!"

"Hey, what are you doing to Nami-san?" Sanji said yelling at the Foxy Pirates. Then Tubiflex went on and on about how dishonorable this was, all the while the Foxy Pirates were chanting "No!" at her.

"Waaahhh, I hate them," Nami said crying on Robin`s shoulder.

"While it's not against the rules, it seems to violate their pirate ideals," Robin said calmly.

"Of course it does. That's your fault," Zoro said a bit coldly.

"I agree with Nami," Usopp said quickly.

"Geez! What's their problem?" Luffy said as the Foxy Pirates kept calling us names.

"**SHUT THE HELL UP, ALL OF YOU! LIKE ANY OF YOU JACKASSES SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT PLAYING FAIR!**" I yelled at the top of my lungs, unleashing my Haki, and scaring the shit out of the Foxy Pirates, save for Chopper. "**DOES ANYONE ELSE WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT?**"

"We're sorry," Foxy said apologizing for the whole crew.

"However! In the end, the only person who holds the key to this game's final score is the winning team's captain, Monkey D. Luffy," Tubiflex announced. "Who will he pick?"

"Miss Navigator, according to your plan, we will be able to end the game immediately, but then the Boss will have to join our crew," Robin said calmly.

"Oops," Nami said realizing her blunder.

"Do any of us really want to be traveling with the Turnip-head?" I asked my crewmates.

"WE DON'T WANT THAT," the rest of the guys all said in unison, shocking Foxy.

"CHOPPER! COME ON BACK!" Luffy yelled as Chopper quickly ran over and hugged Luffy.

"WAAAAAAAH!" Chopper cried loudly.

"Nooo! Choppy!" Porche said sadly as she lost her cute "pet".

"UOEAEAEAGABABABA! DANK YOO... I'B SO HABBY!" Chopper said through his tears.

"Don't cry. Zoro and Sanji would never lose," Luffy said comforting Chopper a bit.

"KAKUSEI, YOO RISKED YOURSELB SO I COULB STAY ON OUR CREWB," Chopper said to me through his tears. "DANK YOO."

"It`s alright," I said as I patted him on the head. "I knew we`d win, and more importantly, get you back."

"Yikes! The Boss has been crushed to the ground with the weight of the moment!" The Foxy Pirates said looking at Foxy, who had gone into his deepest depression mode yet. "They all said they didn't want him, simultaneously!"

"Oh Boss, we still need you!" Porche said trying to cheer him up.

"Boss! Boss! Give 'em a what-for in the third round!" The Foxy Pirates said trying to cheer him up. "Yeah! We can't wait for Round Three! We love you, Boss! Boss!"

"B... boys..." Foxy said slowly and his eyes tearing up. "_That's right...! My place... is right here…_"

"Enough of the bullshit, let`s get moving already," Sanji said bluntly, sending Foxy back into depression.

"BOSS!" The Foxy Pirates said, again trying to console him.

"Hoi hoi hoi, listen up..." Foxy said back to normal, "…in the "Combat" Third Round, it is "impossible" for anyone to defeat me! You'll never get back the crewmember you lose in the final round. Better get yourself ready so I can take whatever crewmember I want..."

"What? You can't beat me!" Luffy said confidently.

"Fweh fweh..." Foxy said evilly. "...a fight and a game... are two different things."

"And as the Second Round concludes with the unforeseen defeat of the Groggy Monsters," Tubiflex said loudly, "both teams' members are back to their original places! The final Third Round will hold the key to the result of this fierce Davy Back Fight! I hope you're all excited and ready for the star of the game! "COMBAAAAAAAT"!"

**-X-**

Only one round left. Will Luffy hold his own against the undefeated Foxy?

Let`s get ready to rumble next chapter!

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	21. Chapter 21

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 21: A Farewell to ****ÄRMs**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

"Now, let's determine the playing field!" Tubiflex announced gathering everyone`s attention.

"Playing field?" Zoro asked.

"We start with this cannon outfitted with a special cannonball inside," Tubiflex said showing off the cannon which was on top of a spinning table. "Both contestants spin the cannon at the same time!" Luffy and Foxy began to spin the cannon around like a spinning wheel on a playground. "And... the place at which it comes to a halt..." Just then the cannon stopped instantly pointing exactly 90 degrees between Luffy and Foxy.

"WAIT A MINUTE! IT JUST STOPPED INSTANTLY!" Usopp objected angrily.

"Is where the battlefield is decided!" Tubiflex said as the cannon shot the cannonball onto the deck of Foxy`s ship. "The ball has JUST SO HAPPENED to land on the Sexy Foxy's deck."

"That was NOT a coincidence, you cheaters!" Usopp yelled angrily.

"Give it up..." Zoro said exhaling a heavy breath.

"Now it's time to explain the rules for the Third Round, "Combat"!" Tubiflex said near happily. "The battlefield extends from the spot the ball landed with a 50 meter radius! In other words, the battle will take place in a 100 meter diameter circle!" That meant that the whole ship, including its figurehead, was fair game. "Any types of weapons or explosives are allowed in the circle," Tubiflex continued as Chopper tended to Zoro and Sanji`s wounds. "No one else aside from the two combatants is allowed inside the circle. Throw your enemy out of the circle, and you win! THAT'S ALL! Also, midair or underwater ejections don't count! Now! Look at the stage for Porche-chan and her "Flower Cheerleaders," doing a cheer for the Boss!"

"Porche-chan!" The Foxy Pirates cheered as Porche and a few other girls began dancing in cheerleader outfits. I ignored them, as I was getting a few things together to collect my winnings.

"The "Combat" ceremonies are just about to commence aboard the Sexy Foxy," Tubiflex said sounding more like a sports commentator than a Foxy Pirate. "By the way, there are vendors walking the grounds selling limited edition DBF goods." That was just shameless product placement. "By all means, take this time to add to your collection!"

"WE DON'T NEED THIS CRAP, JUST START THE MATCH!" Nami yelled at Tubiflex.

"Thanks you guys, you were totally cool! You totally beat those huge guys up!" Chopper said to Zoro and Sanji after he finished patching them up.

"Well, to put it simply," Sanji began.

"I did all the work," Zoro and Sanji said simultaneously.

"WHAT?" Sanji and Zoro said angrily looking at each other.

"Ah, some things never change," I said sighing happily as I held my hands behind my head and hung my head a bit low.

"Stop that," Nami said holding Sanji and Zoro`s head apart, sending Sanji into Love Mode again. "They're calling for Luffy now. Where is he?"

"Here you go, two limited edition Foxy badges," a vendor said as he handed Luffy and Usopp two pins that looked like Foxy`s face.

"DON'T BUY THAT CRAP!" Nami yelled at Usopp and Luffy.

"The combatants need to prepare in the waiting room," a Foxy Pirate said to Luffy.

"Aha, that's me!" Luffy said bluntly. "Wait, prepare?"

"And who will be your second?" the Foxy Pirate asked.

"Huh? Oh, I guess that would be me," Usopp said calmly.

"Hey," I said flagging down the guy talking to Usopp and Luffy. "Can you get Foxy for me real quick? I wanna talk to him about our bet."

"Sure," the Foxy Pirate replied as he went off to get Foxy.

"You wanna take care of that now?" Nami asked me.

"Well, yeah," I said calmly. "I don`t want to take the chance that they may hit the things we may need while fighting. While Foxy wouldn`t be stupid enough to fight in his treasure or storage rooms, Luffy doesn`t care at all."

"Good point," Nami said as Foxy came forward, swinging his coat back on.

"You wanted me?" Foxy asked me looking a bit smug, yet fearful.

"Yes. Foxy, while you guys get set up for the final match, I`d like to collect on that bet we made," I said calmly while I held up the photographs. "We are both honorable men, aren`t we?" Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Robin, Zoro, Chopper, and Sanji looked at how this would play out.

"_Oh, crap, he did remember,"_ Foxy thought worriedly. _"Time for plan B."_ Just then, Foxy made a signal with his hands and a fire-lit arrow shot just above my hand, grazing the photos and setting them on fire.

"Hot!" I yelled as I dropped the photos, as the others in my crew looked on, save Luffy who looking at his two Foxy pins.

"What the?" Nami yelled looked towards the archer of that arrow.

"Sorry, my bad," the archer of the Foxy pirates said calmly as he waved his arm.

"Like that was an accident!" Nami yelled at the archer.

"If you don`t have any proof that bet was made, then we must not have made one!" Foxy said laughing haughtily as the photos burned to ashes.

"That`s a bunch of crap, we all saw you two make that deal!" Nami yelled at Foxy as I blew my hand to cool it.

"That`s a lousy way to squeeze out of an honorable bet!" Usopp said yelling at Foxy as well.

"It`s no surprise he`d do something like that," Sanji said as he lit a cigarette. "We all know what kind of cheater he is." Zoro and Robin just looked on in neutral observation. I began to chuckle, which then escaladed into roaring laughter.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" Nami yelled at me. "We could have gotten half his treasure, plus supplies!"

"I thought this might happen," I said as I reached for my pocket, and pulled out a familiar object.

"What`s that?" Foxy asked.

"That`s…" Nami said looking at the object in my hand.

"A Tone Dial, right," I said smiling at Nami. "I wanted to be prepared in a situation like this, so after the first event, I asked Usopp for a Tone Dial. That way, I could do this." I pressed the top of the Tone Dial.

"_If we lose this next game, I`ll join your crew regardless of whether you pick me or not," _the recording of my voice said.

"Wait, how did he?" Foxy said listening to the conversation I had recorded.

"_Fweh fweh fweh!" _the recording of Foxy laughed._ "And what happens if your crew wins the next game?"_

"_If we win the next game, I get to raid your ship for any supplies I deem necessary and I can take up to half your treasure," _my recorded voice said.

"_Fweh fweh fweh, it`s a deal!" _Foxy`s voice some clicking sounds were heard followed by a blowing wind sound. _"What, don`t you trust me?"_

"_No, in fact I don`t," _my voice said calmly._ "I am a man of my word, and I will hold up my end of the deal should we lose. I`m not too sure about you though, so I want to have the evidence."_

"_That`s fine," _Foxy`s voice a few steps were heard, followed by a clicking noise.

"And that`s all the bet," I said pocketing the Tone Dial again.

"So that`s why you wanted the Tone Dial," Usopp said amazed at my ability to think ahead.

"Now if you don`t mind," I continued. "Nami, Sanji, and I have a bit of collecting to do." The look on Foxy`s face was priceless. I swiped a camera quickly and took a picture of that for a keepsake. Man, this felt good. I outfoxed Foxy.

"W-wait!" Foxy said trying to stop me. "Why are they going?"

"Well, Sanji knows best what food we`ll need, and Nami knows treasure better than I do," I said calmly and smiling at his with my hands behind my head. "And besides, we never said that I couldn`t bring anyone along. Or do you want to hear the recording again?"

"_He`s got me beat,"_ Foxy thought as he slumped to the ground. "Fine, take what you will, but you only get half the treasure!" he reminded me.

"Of course," I said as Nami, Sanji, and I walked off towards his ship with a few large cloth bags in tow. "I am a man of my word after all."

"He`s really got things figured out, doesn`t he?" Zoro asked Robin, smirking as he usually did.

"It seems so," Robin said slyly as she looked towards me.

-X-

"Sanji-kun, please go to the kitchen and gather any food we may need," Nami said sweetly as she and I walked off to the treasure room.

"Of course, Nami-swan!" Sanji said as he danced off to the kitchen with hearts in his eyes.

"Shall we?" I said in a gentlemanly tone as I held the door open for Nami.

"Such a gentleman," she said sweetly as she walked in. Her eyes immediately went to Beri signs as we both looked at the huge amounts of treasure piled up in the room. "Too bad we can only take half of it."

"Yeah, but we can still take the best half," I said slyly.

"You are such a sly devil," Nami said smiling at me with a devilish look in her eye, as she started picking up treasure and eyeing it before placing it in her bag. I was about to start picking treasure out myself, when a small-sized treasure chest, no wider than my torso, caught my eye. I seemed drawn to it in some way. "Kakusei, you alright?" I slowly opened the chest, and my eyes instantly bugged out, and I started stammering.

"I… hubba… ne… th… this is impossible!" I said looking at the contents of the chest. Nami peeked over my shoulder and looked in the chest as well. Inside were a bunch of pieces of silver jewelry, like rings, key chains, necklaces, and bracelets, all in different shapes and styles, and scattered inside the pile of jewelry was a bunch of red small jewels.

"What`s the big deal?" she asked me. "These trinkets aren`t gonna be worth very much."

"What`s the big deal?" I yelled in response, almost on instinct. "Foxy probably has no idea how valuable the contents of this treasure chest are!"

"Really?" Nami asked as her eyes turned to Beri signs again. "Wait, why do you know how much these are worth?"

"Because these aren't from this world," I said sending a look of confusion onto Nami`s face. "They must have come here due to the timeline changes made by my arrival to this world. I`ve heard that this kind of thing called an anomaly when a thing like this happens. These are ÄRM." I said shakily.

"ÄRM?" Nami asked. "What are ÄRM?"

"ÄRM are magical items from a world called MÄR Heaven," I said making Nami realized what was going on. "ÄRM can allow the user to summon weapons, control the elements, or even summon a guardian. Some even give curses to opponents; allow the user to heal others, and more. It`s amazing," I said as I ruffled through the chest looking at each of the ÄRM closely. "It looks like we have a lot of ÄRM here I can identify, and theses jewels are magic stones from MÄR Heaven as well. If an ÄRM is modified to use the magic stones, new possibilities and powers can be made for the ÄRM, increasing its abilities and usefulness. Sometimes, the power of enhanced ÄRM can rival that of even Devil Fruit."

"They can rival Devil Fruit?" Nami said astonished at the power of these small trinkets. "Can they really do that?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two ÄRM that piqued my personal interest.

"How about I show you what one can do?" I said as I put on a ring that looked like it had a zipper running round it. "I have no idea if this will work." I held up the ÄRM into the air. "Dimension ÄRM, Zipper!" I channeled my Ki and willed my energy into it, hoping it would work. Almost instantaneously, a zipper appeared in the air, shocking Nami. I pulled down on the zipper, which opened up a pocket dimension in the air, like the zipper had been there all along. Nami`s jaw dropped and her eyes bugged out.

"What the hell did you do?" Nami asked as she looked at the tear in the fabric of space-time I opened up.

"I opened up a pocket dimension thanks to this ÄRM," I said smiling. "We can use this to store all the treasure and come back for it later just by opening up the zipper again anywhere else, but we`ll have to fish the stuff out piece by piece, so let`s put everything in bags to make it easier. I can`t believe that actually worked."

"Neither can I," Nami replied said as we shoveled the treasure we began to pick out into bags to put into the pocket dimension. "What`s that other one do?" she asked referring to the silver keychain with a dragon`s head that was hanging from my pocket.

"That one is special," I said calmly. "It`s for training later."

"Alright, so we`ll figure out what all those other ÄRM do later, right?" Nami asked me.

"Right," I said as I continued to shove the treasure-filled bags into the pocket dimension.

"What the hell is that?" Sanji asked walking in on our storing process.

"It`s a long story," Nami replied. "Don`t ask questions, just help us."

"Yes, Nami-swan!" he said as he dropped his bag, which was easily bigger than a car at that point.

"We`ll need that much food to feed Luffy," I said calmly and smiling, "for about a day, maybe two." Sanji and Nami both laughed at my joke.

-X-

We walked back out about a half-hour later with our remaining cloth bags full of food and supplies, and the Zipper and Dragon-headed ÄRMs sitting comfortably in my pocket.

"Hey, you`re back," Zoro said drawing everyone to our presence.

"That`s all the treasure you took?" Robin asked looking at our bags. "I figured Foxy would have more treasure than that."

"Oh, he did," I said mysteriously. "We`ll explain after this ordeal is over." Everyone looked confused at my words, save for Nami and Sanji, who knew about the dimension ÄRM I was carrying, and Robin, who just looked curious.

"Hey, the "Combat" is starting over there!" Chopper said gathering our attention to a match between two of the Foxy Pirates.

"It's the pre-game fight," Robin said calmly, clearing things up.

"I`m gonna go store the food," I said gathering up the bags. "You guys get some good seats." I walked over to the Merry and stored the perishables in the fridge and the rest in the hold. As I got out of the hold, I saw some cloud bombs go off into the air. "Looks like it`s gonna start soon." I quickly ran over to where the stands were and met up with everyone.

"The boundary ring has been set up! Thanks for waiting! It's almost time for the gong to ring, signaling the start of today's main event, "Combat"!" Tubiflex announced.

"Nami-san, Robin-chan, over here! I got you seats!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes as he motioned Nami and Robin over.

"Why is the sky darkening?" Robin asked.

"Black smoke!" Chopper said, probably sniffing it out.

"Appearing in the final round are these two men! It's a showdown between captains!" Tubiflex said enthusiastically as they projected Foxy and Luffy`s wanted posters onto the blackened sky.

"Nice presentation," I said as we all sat down. I sat down between Nami and Robin, much to Sanji`s dismay. "I didn`t think they could project images like that here."

"The man who turns down no challenge! The holder of a legendary 920 wins and 0 losses in "Combat"! THE MAN WHO WINS EVERY GAME! In the left corner of the fox head…"

"BOSS!" The Foxy Pirates cheered as Foxy made his entrance.

"…OUR BOSS, FOXY, THE SILVER FOX!" Tubiflex said. I swear I could hear someone saying "Let`s get ready to rumble!" Heh, references…

"Fweh fweh fweh!" Foxy laughed confidently.

"BOSS! Mop him up in an instant, Boss!" The Foxy Pirates cheered.

"His opponent! Hailing from East Blue! The leader of a small crew of pirates! The 100,000,000 Berry bounty man! In the right corner…" Tubiflex said as Luffy walked out covered in a cloak.

"Good luck to you too, man!" The Foxy Pirates cheered.

"Nicknamed "Straw Hat"…" Tubifex continued, "…MONKEY D. LUFFYYYY!" Luffy whipped off his cloak, revealing he was now sporting an afro, his normal shorts, a pair of red boxing gloves, and a flaming skull tattoo (probably temporary) on his chest.

"Hell yeah!" Luffy cried out loudly and in a braggart fashion.

"The fateful final round of Davy Back Fight, "Combat," IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!" Tubiflex yelled through his microphone.

"Who is that?" Zoro muttered to himself quietly.

"Yeah! You look so cool, Luffy!" Chopper yelled as we all cheered for him, save for Robin, who just smiled.

"Of course Usopp convinced him to wear that," I said as I just chuckled while crossing my arms and reclining in my seat.

"HELL YEAH!" Luffy yelled again as he threw his arms up into the air.

"And now, the main event!" Tubiflex announced.

"Keep your arms in! And show 'im what you got! Your golden right!" Usopp said "coaching" Luffy.

"Yeah! Ring the bell already!" Luffy said as he jabbed the air.

"Hey, I like that! Fweh fweh!" Foxy said as he cracked his neck.

"Both fighters have stepped onto the battlefield!" Tubiflex announced.

"What a ferocious style! Just what you look for in an enemy!" Foxy said complimenting Luffy`s clothing choice.

"...letting Usopp be his second was a terrible mistake," Zoro said nervously as Chopper was just plain awestruck.

"Hell yeah, brother! Let your manly soul BURN!" Sanji said in awe of Luffy`s new attitude.

"Why can't he take it seriously?" Nami asked as she sipped her drink.

"The sad part is he _is_ taking this seriously," I said chuckling again.

"Ahaha, I think he looks charming," Robin said laughing a bit.

"Hahaha, just be careful he doesn't rip your throat out with his teeth!" Usopp said to Foxy trying to intimidate him.

"Or bite your ear off," I said quietly, laughing at my inside joke.

"Seconds! You may now leave, as you are in the way!" Tubiflex answered.

"WHAT? I'm done already?" Usopp said astonished and almost complaining.

"SECONDS OUT!" Tubiflex said getting Usopp to move out of the ring.

"Yeah, get it started!" The Foxy Pirates cheered.

"The battlefield for this round conveniently being on our ship the Sexy Foxy's main deck, all of the inside areas are part of the battlefield!" Tubiflex announced. "Who will be thrown out of the 100 meter diameter ring? No time limit! One-round fight! "COMBAT"!"

"YEAAAAAH!" The Foxy Pirates cheered as the stands rose to accommodate so the crowd could see the ring.

"There are only two pirates left on this wide open battlefield!" Tubiflex announced.

"Fweh fweh fweh... now then, Straw Hat Luffy...!" Foxy began. "Let's have some fun! This entire ship is a battleground! Go as crazy as you want because we do have PLENTY OF SHIPWRIGHTS!"

"Nice!" Luffy replied keeping his boxing stance.

"C'mon, Boss! Hey Straw Hat! Nice fashion sense...! Get ready to be pounded!" The Foxy Pirates said aloud.

"Win, Luffy! Just win!" Sanji yelled to Luffy.

"Watch out for his beam attack! Got it?" Nami yelled to Luffy advising him.

"Luffy, go all out and kick his ass!" I yelled to Luffy.

"Let's get this arena heated up! Will we gain or lose a companion? There's no turning back!" Tubiflex announced loudly, riling most everyone up. "The final round of Davy Back Fight! "FOXY THE SILVER FOX" VS. "STRAW HAT LUFFY"! The fate of this match rests on the leaders of both our pirate crews! And now...! THE FINAL BELL!"

-**DING!-**

**-X-**

The final round begins! How will Luffy fight this unusual opponent?

Next chapter we watch Foxy and Luffy duke it out, and have an unexpected visitor.

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	22. Chapter 22

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 22: Eye of the Tiger**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

-**DING!-**

"Let's go!" Foxy said holding his boxing stance.

" Yeah!" Luffy said, winding up for a punch. "Gomu Gomu no…!"

"Fweh fweh!" Foxy said as he readied his counterattack.

"…PISTOL!" Luffy said as he launched his right fist forward.

"NORO NORO BEAM!" Foxy said as he jumped out of the way of Luffy`s punch and fired his attack at Luffy`s arm.

"Ah!" Nami exclaimed.

"Aaah...!" Luffy exclaimed as he tried to pull his arm back.

"Fweh fweh fweh!" Foxy laughed as he landed.

"Only my hand slowed down!" Luffy said as he continued to pull his arm back.

"You look tough, yet you're nothing but appearances!" Foxy said as he looked at Luffy`s attempt to pull back his punch.

"WHAT? ...Ngg! Come back!" Luffy said just as he began to skid forward, his arm finally retracting, but in a reverse of sorts. "Uwaaahh!"

"Fweh fweh! Noro Noro…" Foxy said as he pointed his hands at Luffy.

"Shit!" Luffy said as he jumped in a barrel roll to Foxy`s attack. Heh, barrel roll.

"Just kidding," Foxy said right after Luffy jumped.

"Huh?" Luffy said realizing the trick.

"NORO NORO BEAM!" Foxy said as he used his technique on Luffy, stalling his fall.

"Luffy!" Sanji yelled out.

"This is why I told him to be careful!" Nami said as she grabbed her head in worry.

"C'mon Boss, fuck him up! Gyahahah, this guy is weak!" The Foxy Pirates cheered.

"Ohhhhh... Crrrr... aaaaa... ppppp..." Luffy said very slowly.

"Fweh fweh, what's wrong, Straw Hat...?" Foxy said, mocking Luffy.

"He`s floating..." Zoro said stating the obvious. "I guess it even slows down your fall?"

"COOL, LUFFY!" Chopper yelled with stars in his eyes.

"Not good," I said looking a bit worried. "He`s a sitting duck."

"Hoi!" Foxy said as e jumped up onto Luffy.

"Whaaaa... ttttt..." Luffy said slowly noticing Foxy.

"KYUBI (Nine Tails)…" Foxy said as he lined up his fist to Luffy`s body.

"…theee..." Luffy slowly continued.

"…RUSH!" Foxy finished as he began punching Luffy at a rapid pace. "Rush! Rush! Ruuuush!"

"What the…? He's not moving!" Sanji observed.

"No, his reactions are ALSO slow," Zoro said being very insightful as Luffy`s face began twisting as it normally would from being punched, just in slow motion.

"Fwehhhh fweh fweh! That's my way of saying hello!" Foxy said as he got off Luffy.

"Shiii... iiitt..." Luffy said in a slow response to Foxy`s attack.

"The punches alone aren't that much, but together are quite strong. You`ll be done soon, even if you are a rubber-man!" Foxy said haughtily. "3… 2… 1... 30 seconds."

"UGEBABEDOGABU!" Luffy muttered as the 30 seconds worth of punches unloaded their effect, completely unaffected by Luffy`s rubber body.

"Fweh fweh fweh!" Foxy laughed.

"Aaah! That's 30 seconds' worth of impact all at once!" Sanji yelled worried for Luffy.

"LUFFY!" Nami yelled.

"He'll fall into the sea like that," Robin stated calmly.

"GRRR!" Luffy said as he stretched his arm out and grabbed the ear of the Fox figurehead.

"Whoa, look! He stretched! Cool! So that's the power of the Gomu Gomu no Mi!" The Foxy Pirates commented as Luffy landed and looked around for Foxy.

"Hahh... Hahh... Damn! This is gonna be tougher than I thought, this Noro Noro Beam!" Luffy said analyzing Foxy`s abilities. "But he`s not the only one with a beam attack. Seems like it would be better NOT to stretch out too much. ARRG! You won't get me anymore!"

"Aha! And the final round "Combat" begins with a bang!" Tubiflex commented.

"COME ON OUT, SPLIT-HEAD!" Luffy yelled as he charged further into the ship, and disappearing from our view.

"Our Boss`s combo attack has left Straw Hat is helpless! He`s getting fired up! Please try not to destroy the fox ears," Tubiflex said calmly as Luffy continued onto the deck, only to meet several slowed-down arrows, pointing at him, if my returning memory served me. At that point, I began to remember what was going on and relayed the info to the others. I told them how Luffy was now trying to fight Foxy while he rode on some slowed down cannonballs, and that`s when an explosion was heard.

"Was that the cannonballs?" Nami asked.

"Yep," I replied, as a few more explosions went off. "He apparently doesn`t care as much about his ship, due to the amount of shipwrights he has."

"NORO NORO FOXY FACE-BOMB!" Foxy yelled as I remembered he used his Noro Noro powers on an oddly shaped cannon at this time.

"OH MY GOD THAT'S TERRIFYING!" Luffy yelled as replicas of Foxy`s head shot out of the cannon in a line.

"I second that thought," I said remembering the situation as the others looked at me a bit funny. "Foxy just used a cannon that shoots out bombs shaped like his face."

"That is scary," Everyone but Robin said in unison.

"Damn, I can't see a thing. What's going on?" The Foxy Pirates asked.

"Aim for the body, Luffy! His body!" Usopp yelled as he joined us in the stands.

"Oh hey, Usopp," Sanji said calmly.

"Kakusei, is Luffy alright?" Nami yelled as she looked on.

"There they go! All direct hits! Has the Boss won already?" Tubiflex announced. "Look at that, a HUUUGE EXPLOSION!" he announced as a large explosion went off, probably from the Face Bombs. "On our ship-coincidentally-turned-battlefield…" he said coughing a bit.

"...Luffy?" Chopper asked as he tried to see through the smoke.

"Hey Luffy, what happened?" Usopp yelled trying to talk to Luffy.

"Chill out," Sanji said calmly.

"They can't let their own ship be the battleground like this..." Nami said objecting to this situation. "It's all kinds of cheating!"

"What gave you your first clue?" I said sarcastically, almost prompting Nami to hit me. Why she didn`t, I have no idea.

"Our Boss expertly used the coincidentally-placed "Foxy Face Bomb" cannons to launch a barrage against "Straw Hat Luffy"!" Tubiflex explained for those of us who could not see what was happening. "In the event of a contestant`s body being blown to bits, ANY INDIVIDUAL PIECE, should it fall out of bounds, will result in the end of the game."

"Whew, that was dangerous... " Luffy said as he coughed while squatting on the mast crossbeam of the ship.

"Yes, that was quite a dangerous atta... WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" Tubiflex announced, shocked at Luffy`s survival.

"Shut up, what's your problem?" Luffy said to Tubiflex.

"MY GOODNESS! Straw Hat is STILL ALIVE! He managed to evade that close-range bombardment!" Tubiflex announced, still shocked. "What incredible speed! IS THIS THE POWER OF A HUNDRED-MILLION CLASS BOUNTY?"

"...oh my god. That's just scary," The Foxy Pirates commented.

"Hell yeah!" Usopp yelled from the stands.

"C'mon, finish it up already!" Sanji yelled.

"However... it appears that the Boss is already beginning his next assault!" Tubiflex announced. "His chuckle eerily echoes through the cloud of smoke! The Boss's voice give the enemy no time for breath! Where will Foxy the Silver Fox... come from next, and with what?"

"Ah," Luffy said as he saw something in the smoke.

"A SILHOUETTE!" Tubiflex said again.

"How do you like that?" Foxy said roughly as he staggered out of the smoke.

"YOU BLEW YOURSELF UP!" Luffy said looking at the beat up Foxy.

"NO I DIDN'T!" Foxy said angrily.

"Stop lying!" Luffy cried out.

"Don't assume you'll leave this battleground alive..." Foxy said slowly. "NORO NORO BEA..." he said as he shot out he Beam, but missed. In a split second, Luffy appeared behind him in a boxing stance.

"GOMU HOOK!" Luffy yelled as he swung his arm in an arc, nailing Foxy In the arm.

"UGYAAAAA!" Foxy cried out as he coughed up a little blood.

"I'll just break your arm so you can't shoot that beam anymore!" Luffy said grinning.

-Author: In order to speed this up a bit, I`m going to let someone else sum up the story for me. Ollie?

"Foxy used the smoke and stand-ups!"

Then, what?

"Luffy made him depressed!"

And then?

"Moving runway!"

After that?

"Foxy ran inside!"

Thanks Ollie. And now back to our regularly scheduled program. -

"After escaping the last trap, Straw Hat Luffy is beckoned by the eerie laugh of the Foxy Pin Badge! The inside of the ship is like our Boss's backyard! Will Straw Hat Luffy take the bait?" Tubiflex announced again.

"There he is...!" Luffy said realizing Foxy was inside.

"Don't, Luffy! It's a trap!" Nami said trying to get Luffy to use his head. Heheh, It`s a trap… More references…. "He's got all kinds of traps waiting for you!"

"That bastard! I'll kick his ass!" Luffy yelled as he charged inside.

"Straw Hat Luffy jumps straight in!" Tubiflex said. "The battle moves inside the ship! Not even I, your announcer, can go inside! That's how "Combat" works! An invisible battle between our two warriors has just begun!"

"STAND UP! STAND UP AND FIGHT, LUFFY!" Usopp yelled. "Have you forgotten your training already?"

"Who`s the trainer here?" I asked rhetorically as I hit Usopp lightly.

"Sit down, I can't see," Sanji said lightly hitting Usopp.

"Kakusei, is Luffy alright?" Nami asked me.

"He`s fighting, but Foxy is being the tricky asshole he is," I said calmly. I didn`t have the heart to tell her about the beating Foxy was giving Luffy. The cheap disguises, the Gorilla Puncher, that kind of stuff would just make her worry more. But the cannon and spike room bit was pretty funny. "He`ll be fine. You think an asshole like Foxy is gonna stop Luffy?"

"No," Nami said shaking he head at me with a small smile on her face. Phew, at least I kept her calm. That made me feel good.

"Davy Back Fight, round number 3, "Combat"!" Tubiflex said breaking the awkward silence. "We have no idea what's happening, but we can certainly guess that a ferocious exchange of blows is occurring inside the ship! The stands are roaring with cheers for the Boss!"

"He's not gonna lose...!" Zoro said calmly.

"Yeah, it's Luffy!" Chopper said excitedly.

"It's Luffy... with an afro!" Usopp said in a mysterious manner.

"The fact that it's Luffy should be more than enough... to get rid of that worthless fox," Sanji said as he lit a cigarette with a small flame on top of his thumb. Glad I taught him that. Now he`ll save money on matches.

"What makes you think the afro gives him a power-up?" Nami asked.

"He certainly looked stronger," Robin commented.

"It`s the placebo effect," I explained.

"Placebo effect?" the others asked me.

"The Placebo Effect is a medical and psychological term for someone who does something normally impossible alone because of an object or event because they believe it will help them in some way. Whether Usopp knew it or not, because he told Luffy the afro makes him stronger, he`ll believe it will and will be. It`s like giving a person a sugar pill when they`re sick, telling them it`s medicine, and they`re cured."

"Oh, I remember Doctorine telling me about that!" Chopper said happily as he understood the situation.

"So it`s a mental thing?" Nami asked.

"Yep," I replied. "It works because Luffy is so easily influenced."

"It`s true," The others said in their minds.

"I see movement on the deck! What's it going to look like? Is the fight already over?" Tubiflex said drawing our attention to the deck. "I see two shadows!"

"YEAAH!" The Foxy Pirates cheered as Foxy came out with additional armor on and Luffy at his feet.

"It's the Boss who's standing! BOSS! Straw Hat is burnt to a crisp!" Tubiflex said happily. "It looks like he took some heavy punches!"

"AAAAAH!" Chopper cried out.

"LUFFY!" Usopp yelled as he cried a bit.

"Impossible..." Sanji said amazed.

"How can he be burnt by normal punches?" Nami asked. " What happened?"

"That GODDAMN GORILLA PUNCHER!" I yelled as I stomped the ground, leaving a small crater at my feet.

"Look," Robin said calmly as Luffy slowly got back up.

"Straw Hat Luffy stands! Even after we assumed he was down for the count, he stands!" Tubiflex said almost supporting Luffy.

"You're just barely hanging on, Straw Hat..." Foxy said as he reached for a small wooden object tucked in his pant. (A/N: If I was on another site, I`d get so many questions about this…)

"It's his brotherly soul...! Afro power! CRUSH HIM, BOSS!" The Foxy Pirates said as Foxy swung the wood object at Luffy`s limbs.

"Huh?" Luffy said as he attempted to move his arms.

"Fweh fweh fweh, my Noro Noro Beam Sword," Foxy said smugly as he swung a blade made of the Noroma Photons in front of Luffy`s face. Damn bastard stole my idea! "I've got your arms and legs trapped. Feel free to go ahead and move your body, if you CAN... MEGATON KYUBI RUSH! RUSH!" Luffy dropped again, and Foxy just laughed.

"This time..." Tubiflex started to say as Luffy stood back up. "No, wait!"

"...Luffy," Nami said in shock and awe, and obviously worried about Luffy.

"STRAW HAT LUFFY IS STANDING!" Tubiflex announced excitedly. The Foxy Pirates were amazed at Luffy`s Afro-willpower, and Foxy just unleashed another Noro Noro Beam-Megaton Kyubi Rush combo on him.

"Damn, that beam attack is so cheap! It should be against the rules!" Usopp yelled.

"Usopp!" Zoro said as he held Usopp back.

"Do it!" The Foxy Pirates cheered.

"Hahh... hahh...! Hahh...It ain't easy... hittin' him all those times...! Hahh..." Foxy said tired from using all those punches against Luffy.

"This isn`t a fight, it`s torture!" Usopp yelled out.

"He`s still conscious?" The Foxy Pirates said in shock as Luffy stood up again.

"To save... my Nakama..." Luffy said as he stood up again.

"Luffy...!" Nami said as she covered her mouth with her hands and began crying a bit as we all sat in shock of Luffy`s willpower. I put my hand on her shoulder, and she seemed a bit relieved, like I was telling her it`d be fine.

"… I WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH!" Luffy yelled more than loud enough for all of us to hear.

"Straw Hat stands again! What amazing willpower!" Tubiflex said amazed, happy, and sad all at the same time as he teared up. "Every time he falls...!"

"Luffy...!" Chopper said tearing up.

"Luffyyyyy!" Usopp said as he began to cry.

"Every time he falls, he gets back up!" Tubiflex continued.

Why won`t you just stay down...?" Foxy asked himself a bit angry at Luffy now.

"LUFFY!" Nami cried out.

"His feet are wobbling...! And his breath comes hard... but! His eyes are shining, and he stands up again FOR HIS NAKAMA! Yes, this is the true spirit of the Davy Back Fight! I... I can't see ahead of me for the tears streaming out of my eyes!" Tubiflex said through his tears.

"LUFFY!" Usopp cried through his tears.

"LUFFY!" Tubiflex also cried out.

"LUFFY! LUFFY! LUFFY! LUFFY! LUFFY! LUFFY!" The Foxy Pirates began cheering for our captain, in a scene of true moving emotion.

"The crowd is on their feet, cheering for Luffy! Has there ever been an enemy that has challenged our Boss so?" Tubiflex said tearfully.

"HEY, WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, ANYWAY?" Foxy said yelling at his crew.

"BOSS! BOSS! BOSS! BOSS! BOSS!" Tubiflex and the Foxy Pirates began cheering.

"Now watch, this'll be over in a second! Noro Noro Beam Sword!" Foxy said as Luffy tried to run, making the beam sword look more like a whip. "Hoy hoy, you can't get away with moves like that! HOY!"

"Oof!" Luffy said as his head and leg were caught in the beam trap.

"Damn, he doesn't even have the strength to run..." Usopp said crying a bit. "I can't stand to see Luffy like this!"

"Here comes the finishing blow...!" Foxy said as he pulled a lever, making a cannon fire at Luffy.

"Noro Noro Beam!" Foxy said as he back flipped over the cannonball.

"Boss is the first to act! He slows down a cannonball!" Tubiflex said as Foxy attached a wood glider with a Fox`s head onto the cannonball.

"Foxy Fighter! It'll be a perfect K.O. after a punch delivered with the velocity of this cannonball!" Foxy said haughtily as he prepared to hit Luffy.

"There it is! The Boss's super cannon-riding punch! He's going to finish the match with his Foxy Fighter!" Tubiflex said dramatically.

"Luffy! He hit you with the beam a split-second earlier! As soon as you can move, dodge out of the way!" Sanji yelled to Luffy.

"Hahh... Hahh..." Luffy said panting as he readied himself to run.

"Fweh fweh fweh...!" Foxy laughed as he got ready to hit Luffy.

"...ah! I can move...!" Luffy said as he ran while breathing heavily.

"Straw Hat is free of the beam's effect for a second!" Tubiflex announced.

"IT`S USELESS! You won't be getting away!" Foxy said as the glider shot forward and he tilted it to meet up with Luffy. Foxy hit Luffy, square in the face with his spiked glove, then jumped off the glider as Luffy fell backward into the railing.

"LUFFY! LOOK OUT!" Usopp and Chopper yelled as the glider then hit Luffy, knocking him off the ship.

"Fweh fweh! Take that as my farewell gift!" Foxy said as the glider continued after Luffy.

"IT'S ALL OVER!" Tubiflex said as the cannonball exploded, seemingly killing Luffy.

"LUFFY!" Nami yelled out.

"Aaaaaa!" Chopper yelled.

"All those attacks have put an end to Straw Hat!" Tubiflex said as he too believe Luffy was dead.

"What the...? He didn't have to go THAT far...?" Nami said, clutching my arm, I think unconsciously.

"HE! HE! HE...! HE STANDS AGAIN!" Tubiflex said, revealing to all of us that Luffy was alive, but still breathing heavily.

"Impossible, he`s not human!" The Foxy Pirates cried out.

"Hahh... Hahh," Luffy was breathing heavily, until he noticed something in his hand. "Hahh... Hahh ...ah. I Win."

"BULLSHIT! You're barely standing on your own two feet!" Foxy said, now pissed that Luffy just wouldn`t go down. "If THAT'S the way you feel I'll just keep hitting you until you go down! MEGATON KYUBI...!"

"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy began saying.

"RUSH!" Foxy said in anger as he launched his assault, his eyes white in fury.

"…GATLING!" Luffy finished as he launched his Gomu Gomu no Gatling move to counter Foxy`s Megaton Kyubi Rush. "GRR...!"

"NRR...!" Foxy said as he struggled to beat Luffy.

"Incredible! The fiercest display we've seen yet! What an amazing exchange of punches!" Tubiflex said getting everyone riled up.

"Luffy...! Luffy! Crush him!" Usopp cheered.

"Beat him!" Chopper cheered along with Usopp.

"They won't stop! It keeps on going!" Tubiflex said amazed how long they were going at it.

"Pugope...! Babo! ...ga!" Foxy said as he was getting pummeled by Luffy. "...why you...! Where are you getting this power?"

"UAAAAAAAAAA! Hahh! Hahh!" Luffy roared as he continued his attack.

"You little-! BFF!" Foxy said as he got ready to fire his Noro Noro Beam into one of Luffy`s punches. "NORO NORO BEA...!" At that moment, the beam went off, and both fighters stood still, fists touching.

"Huh?" One of the Foxy Pirates asked.

"What?" Usopp asked.

"They're not moving...!" Nami observed.

I just smirked, causing Nami, and Usopp to look at me. "Luffy`s won," I said with my smirk still on my face.

"Hahh...! ...Hahh!" Luffy said as he dropped to his knees, exhausted.

"S... Straw Hat falls...!" Tubiflex announced, then quickly became shocked. "NO! Straw Hat only MOVED!"

"Shhhhh... iiiiitttt..." Foxy said slowly. He had been hit by his own Noroma Photons!

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" Tubiflex asked loudly.

"Why?" Nami asked confused as well.

"BUH-! BOSS?" The Foxy Pirates exclaimed. Just then, Luffy dropped a mirror shard out of the hand he had met with Foxy`s attack.

"A MIRROR! A shard of mirror glass in Straw Hat's hand...!" Tubiflex said, explaining to everyone how the beam was deflected.

"...it was stuck in my afro..." Luffy said still tired. "Hahh... a piece of mirror from your stupid room...!"

"You… little… shit….: Foxy said slowly as he barely moved.

"Gomu Gomu no...!" Luffy said as he swung his Right forearm around in the air in a circular pattern, causing it to stretch out and gain power from centrifugal force.

"Aaaa..." Foxy struggled to say.

"UWOOOOOOH!" Luffy yelled as he swung the still-spinning fist towards Foxy.

"Aaah..." Foxy said with his "Oh SHIT!" look on his face.

"FLAIL!" Luffy said as he slammed his fist into Foxy`s face, full-force. Luffy just began slowly walking to the Fox figurehead as Foxy`s face began slowly caving in.

"No way..." The Foxy Pirates said in awe.

"...8 more seconds," Zoro said calmly with his eyes closed.

"Huh? ...huh?" Usopp said confused.

"Could this be...?" Tubiflex announced.

"7..." Sanji said as calmly as Zoro.

"What?" Nami asked as confused as Usopp.

"6..." Robin said calmly with her head resting in her hand.

"BOSS!" The Foxy Pirates yelled out.

"Hahaha! 5!" Usopp yelled getting the idea. "C'mon, you guys better count too! 4!"

"What the? Whatever, looks like fun," The Foxy Pirates said. "3!" Luffy stood on the Fox Figurehead catching his breath. "2! 1! 0!"

"BUHEHHH!" Foxy said as he was sent flying out of the ring by the force of Luffy`s punch.

"RAAAAHHHHH!" Luffy yelled as loud as he could.

"YAHOO!" We all cheered but Robin, who just smiled at the scene.

"Wait, THAT`S OUR BOSS FLYING!" The Foxy Pirates exclaimed realizing their error.

"THE BOSS GOES FLYING!" Tubiflex announced shocked.

"BOSS!" The Foxy Pirates yelled again.

"He lands...! Outside of the field!" Tubiflex said as Foxy landed in the water outside the barrier rings. "Round Three of the Davy Back Fight! A pitched "Combat" between both crew's captains for the fate of their own crews! The Boss's legend of 920 straight wins without a defeat is smashed, and the conqueror of the game is...!"

"...I'm not... going to let you have any of my Nakama, even if I die!" Luffy said in his mind.

"STRAW HAT LUFFY!" Tubiflex yelled at the top of his lungs.

"YEAH, LUFFY!" Usopp cheered loudly.

"LUFFY!" Nami said as she stood up and Sanji tried to hug and kiss her. The Bell rang, and the fight was over!

**-X-**

The fight is over! Luffy has triumphed over the cheating, conniving Foxy the Silver Fox!

Next chapter, we wrap up this arc, and an unexpected visitor comes looking for someone… or maybe, two someones….

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	23. Chapter 23

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 23: The Fox and the Pheasant**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

"Round Three of the Davy Back Fight! A pitched "Combat" between both crew's captains for the fate of their own crews!" Tubiflex said enthusiastically. "The Boss's legend of 920 straight wins without a defeat is smashed, and the conqueror of the game is...!"

"...I'm not... going to let you have any of my Nakama, even if I die!" Luffy said in his mind.

"STRAW HAT LUFFY!" Tubiflex yelled at the top of his lungs.

"YEAH, LUFFY!" Usopp cheered loudly.

"LUFFY!" Nami said as she stood up and Sanji tried to hug and kiss her. The Bell rang, and the fight was over!

"Boss... lost...! Hey, don't just sit there! We gotta save him!" The Foxy Pirates said as they ran towards the front of the stands.

"The Foxy Pirates vs. The Straw Hat Pirates! Orthodox rules, three-coin game Davy Back Fight! We now conclude this competition!" Tubiflex announced as the stands collapsed due to the Foxy Pirates concentrating in one place.

"BOSS!" The Foxy Pirates cried out.

A bit later, Chopper had gotten Luffy patched up and we were waiting for him to wake up.

"...man, that was so insane. CRAZY! CRAZY BOY!" Usopp said as he poked Luffy several times.

"DON'T POKE HIM SO HARD! HE'S REALLY HURT, YOU JERK!" Chopper said yelling at Usopp.

"You had me so worried...! Especially with all that afro power garbage," Nami said as she was waiting for Luffy to wake up.

"The afro is a mighty thing, Nami-san," Sanji said trying to convince Nami.

"Ah! He's awake," Chopper said as Luffy slowly stirred to consciousness.

"Huh... W-what the? The game! What about the game? I... I thought I won... Was it all a dream?" Luffy said frantically as he sat up quickly.

"Don't worry, you won..." Zoro said calmly.

"That's good..." Luffy said as he dropped back and laid down in the grass.

"Yup," Chopper said calmly.

"Don't worry, I was watching over you," Usopp said in his braggart tone.

"Liar," Sanji said looking at Usopp.

"Now that I think about it, I have no reason to continue being a pirate, without this ship," Zoro said calmly.

"What about your bounty?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, that," Zoro replied.

"Haha..." Robin laughed at our side conversation.

"BOSS! You shouldn't be moving around yet...!" The Foxy Pirates said as Foxy walked towards us.

"Hey, Straw Hat...! You got a lotta nerve, ruining my legend!" Foxy said seeming a bit peeved. We all got a bit tense. "You win. Brother." Foxy said as he held his hand out in a congratulatory handshake. Luffy accepted while Porche and Hamburg were snickering. "DERYAAAA! OVERHEAD THROW OF VENGEANCE!" Foxy said as he tried to throw Luffy over his shoulder, but due to Luffy`s rubber nature, all he did was slam his head into the ground.

"BOSS!" The Foxy Pirates yelled.

"What an idiot," Zoro said.

"Fine! Pick your prize, already! Which one do you want?" Foxy said angrily.

"He's right! We're waiting for the final transaction! The winning team's captain gets to choose, "Straw Hat"! He appears to desire a shipwright! Will it be Sonier, the boss of our crew of fifty shipwrights? Will it be Donovan, our fighting shipwright? Or will it be Gina, our sexy shipwright babe?" Tubiflex said as he showed a guy with a goatee in a beret, a man wearing sunglasses and holding three nails in his teeth, and a provocative woman in a bikini licking her lips respectively. :You can choose anyone you want! Go ahead, champion!"

"GIMME YOUR FLAG!" Luffy said bluntly.

"WHAAAAT?" The Foxy Pirates exclaimed in shock.

"H-hey Luffy! Are you sure?" Sanji said in protest. "You don't want Gina, the sexy shipwright babe? You won't regret this?"

"If I got something I really wanted, I'd forget why I accepted the game in the first place," Luffy said calmly.

"Thank goodness," Nami said with a sigh of relief.

"...you're insane! You're just gonna go right ahead and steal our pride and joy?" Foxy said protesting.

"It's okay, I don't want your sail. Otherwise you guys can't get anywhere," Luffy said still calmly.

"What? That's too merciful... And our sail has our mark on it! We can't keep it anymore...!" The Foxy Pirates said still protesting Luffy`s decision. "DON'T PITY US! TAKE WHAT YOU MUST TAKE!"

"...okay. I'll just erase the mark then. I'll draw you a new symbol for your sail. Then I don't have to take your sail," Luffy said showing a calm clear mind for once.

"Straw Hat... you're such a..." Foxy began saying in gratitude.

"All done!" Luffy said as he revealed a horrible depiction of their previous flag with the kanji for Kitsune written like it was scribbled. Well, Luffy is a horrible artist after all.

"_HORRIBLE ARTIST!"_ The Foxy Pirates said in their minds in unison as they all went into depression mode.

"Boy, they sure are grateful," Luffy said calmly.

"NO WE'RE NOT!" The Foxy Pirates exclaimed.

I breathed a heavy sigh as I stepped forward. "You know what, you guys are a bunch of cheating, no-good, dirty assholes," I began, "but no one deserves that kind of torture especially after the defeat we`ve handed you today. I`ll draw you a new flag, as long as you never bother us again."

"Anything! I`ll do anything to change that horrible symbol!" Foxy said begging me and groveling as he tried to sway me to change the mark Luffy drew. So I grabbed some paint and brushes and got to work, after getting the deal in writing from Foxy. While I was working, Porche kept trying to hug Chopper, and Chopper ran from her in fear.

"Finished," I said a bit later. I had painted a fox`s head in front of nine fox tails, all in the same color of Foxy` s Noroma Photons, and the Fox head`s nose was colored like Foxy`s nose. The Fox was also holding an hourglass in its mouth sideways.

"It`s… AMAZING!" Foxy said happily as he looked at his new symbol. "You`ve done us a great favor Kakusei, and I`ll never forget this!"

"It`s so cool! That`s amazing! How`d he do that? Wish he was on our crew…" That was just a few of the things I heard from the Foxy Pirates in praise and thanks of my work.

"Wow, you really are a good artist Kakusei," Nami said to me in praise. "Really wish you had been around when we made our flag."

"Usopp did a fine job," I said trying to be humble. "Now, if you don`t mind, I need to change and wash up real quick."

"THE VICTORS, THE STRAW HAT PIRATES! AND THUS THIS INSTALLMENT OF DAVY BACK FIGHT COMES TO A CLOSE!" Tubiflex said as some fireworks went off and Foxy`s anchor claws were released.

"Thank goodness! The Going Merry is finally released!" Usopp cheered as I went inside the Going Merry after diving in the water to get the paint off me.

"...HEY! STRAW HAT!" Foxy said a bit angry as I jumped onto the Merry`s deck.

"Huh?" Luffy asked.

"I`ll get you for this!" Foxy yelled for no reason. Guess he just wanted to beat Luffy.

"They just don`t give up, do they?" Zoro asked as I went inside.

I got to my rooms and changed out of the t-shirt I was wearing and put on a new green tank top. I was wearing black Kung-fu pants now, cause they`re so comfy and roomy. Luckily, I took off my Gi and belt before I painted, so they were unharmed. I saw Tonjit`s house where the others were and I saw a very familiar figure with my friends and Tonjit. He was a tall man wearing a white button-up vest over a long-sleeved navy blue shirt and matching white pants and shoes. He also wore a yellow tie divided geometrically by black lines and a sleep mask on his forehead. It was the Blue Pheasant, Admiral Aokiji. I got within eyesight and earshot of them just as he was sticking his hand in the water.

"Now, stay back…" Aokiji said as he stuck his hand in the water and a giant Sea King popped up out of the water to eat Aokiji.

"OH NO! IT'S THE SEA KING OF THESE WATERS!" Tonjit cried out.

"What is that? Get outta the way!" Usopp yelled.

"Look out!" Luffy yelled.

"Ice Age," Aokiji said as the sea surface and the Sea King froze over.

"Devil Fruit!" Zoro said shocked at Aokiji`s abilities.

"The ocean froze solid...!" A few crew members of our crew said simultaneously.

"He`s a Logia-type... He ate the Hie Hie no Mi... Aokiji is an Ice Man!" I said making known my presence to everyone but Aokiji, it seemed.

"This is the strength of a Marine HQ Admiral...!" Robin said still scared.

"It'll hold for a week..." Aokiji said calmly after he pulled his ice-covered hand out and began "de-frosting". "Take your time walking... And go find your village... Be sure to bundle up... it'll be a bit chilly..."

"...am I dreaming...? The sea has turned... into a plain of ice...!" Tonjit said in disbelief. "Shelly... We can cross the water. We can see our friends! For the first time in 10 years!" Shelly neighed in happiness. "Thanks, fella! Thank you! Thank you! What a miracle! Thanks for everything!" Shelly neighed again, thanking Aokiji. "...all right then, we'll be going." Tonjit, Luffy, Chopper, Usopp and Shelly all said their good-byes and Tonjit and Shelly left on a sled. Then we all realized how cold it was, and turned around to find Aokiji still waiting for us.

"Huh? ...what?" Luffy said as Aokiji scratched his head.

"I don't know, you're like... You're just like your grandfather... Monkey D. Luffy... Maybe it's the wildness... Or that you're hard to grasp...!" Aokiji said. Luffy`s grandfather… I felt like I`d read about him, but I couldn`t place a face to the person.

"G... Grandpa...?" Luffy said a bit scared now.

"What...? Luffy's grandfather? Huh? What's wrong, Luffy? You're sweating!" Usopp asked Luffy.

"N... n... no! It's... nothing..." Luffy said badly trying to cover up his fear of his grandfather.

"You see... I owed your grandfather a "favor" once, years ago..." Aokiji said calmly. "The reason I'm here is just to take a look at Nico Robin... and you. And I think... You ought to die now." That made us all tense up. "The governments aren't taking you all too seriously yet... But when you get down to the grit, you've got a tough crew here. Even with your small number, given the kind of manpower we're dealing with, you're going to be a big problem, in the future. How you received your initial bounties, The deeds you have carried out up until now, The rate at which you grow... I have dealt with the lawless for many years... and I know these signs are ominous...!"

"N... now wait a minute...!" Usopp said speaking up. "You just said you were only here to observe..."

"The most dangerous out of all of your crew... is you. Nico Robin," Aokiji said still calm as he was.

"You ARE after Robin, then!" Luffy said angrily. "I oughta crush you!"

"Luffy!" I said almost yelling at him. "Shut it!"

"Why should I?" Luffy retorted. "He wants to take Robin!"

"You don`t think I know that?" I yelled at him. "Your bounties don`t only reflect how strong you are, but also how much the government wants you dead! Robin got her bounty at age 8, and it`s 79 million!"

Aokiji seemed to take note of my knowledge and me for some reason, but kept his cool, as expected. "You made a good living, for a kid. Betraying others and surviving... Using those who would take you in... That lack of loyalty has helped you survive in the underworld. So this must be your newest hideout."

"Hey, I don't like that tone of voice you're taking! What do you have against Robin-chan?" Sanji yelled at Aokiji angrily.

"Stop it, Sanji!" Usopp said as he tried to calm Sanji down.

"I don't have anything against her..." Aokiji began again. "But if there was a motivation... It would be that I let her get away from me, once before... Years ago. You'll understand, soon enough. The day will soon come when you know the regret of harboring a troublesome woman. As proof of that... All the organizations that Nico Robin was once a member of... have all been destroyed. Except for she herself... Why is that, Nico Robin?"

"KNOCK IT OFF! That's all in the past!" Luffy yelled at Aokiji.

"I see... she has infiltrated the group well," Aokiji said still calm.

"What are trying to say?" Robin cried out a bit scared and frantic. "If you want to arrest me, then do it! Treinte Fleur!"

"ROBIN! DON'T DO IT!" Usopp and I said simultaneously.

"Uh-oh... maybe I went too far," Aokiji said with a set of hands under his chin and a few more holding his throat. "Too bad. I was under the impression that you were smarter..."

"He`ll just…" I said, but too late.

"CLUTCH!" Robin said as she snapped Aokiji`s back in half.

"UWAAAAAAH! HE'S DEAD!" Chopper yelled bugging out.

"Oh my god...! We gotta hightail it, everyone!" Usopp yelled in fear. Aokiji began to reform out of the ice around him, perfectly unscathed.

"Mmmmm... My... That wasn't very nice..." Aokiji said as he reformed.

"GYAAAAAA! GYAAAAAAA!" Usopp yelled in fear that Aokiji survived. Aokiji then grabbed a few blade of grass, threw them into the air, and blew on them, freezing them into a sword-like shape.

"Ice Saber. I didn't want to kill anyone..." Aokiji said slowly. He swung his sword at Robin, but Zoro blocked it, and Sanji jumped behind him. For some reason, I couldn`t move. Was I waiting, or was I afraid of this Admiral who had a Logia fruit.

"Slice SHOT!" Sanji yelled as he kicked the sword out of Aokiji`s hand and into the air.

"GOMU GOMU NO...!" Luffy began as he charged forward, stretching his arm back. Sanji and Zoro both flinched a bit as Aokiji grabbed Sanji`s leg and Zoro`s arm.

"BULLET!" Luffy finished as he slammed his fist into Aokiji`s stomach, but it began to freeze! "Cold! Whoaa!"

"Guaaah!" Sanji yelled in pain as his thigh was frozen.

"Aaaaaah!" Zoro yelled in pain as his right arm was frozen.

"GYAAAAA, THEY'VE BEEN FROZEN!" Chopper yelled as Usopp stood in fear, speechless.

"All three at once...!" Nami yelled in shock.

"GWAAAAAH!" Sanji, Luffy, and Zoro all yelled in pain as they clutched their frozen limbs.

"O... oh no!" Chopper said in worry. "We have to help them at once...! If they get frostbite, their limbs will rot!" Dammit, why couldn`t I move! My legs wouldn`t respond!

"...you've got some nice friends... But YOU... are still YOURSELF, Nico Robin," Aokiji said still calm. I snapped at that moment.

"NO, SHE`S NOT!" I yelled moving Aokiji and Robin`s attention to me. "She`s not the same person you met twenty years ago on OHARA!" What possessed me to say that name is beyond me. All I know is I shocked both Robin and Aokiji.

"He... He`s right! I'm not...!" Robin began before Aokiji hugged her in his half-ice form.

"Robin! Look out, run!" Luffy yelled still clutching his frozen arm.

"I'm..." Robin began.

"Robin-chan!" Sanji yelled. In a matter of seconds, Robin had been completely frozen. She was now an ice-covered statue.

"AAAAAAH! ROBIN!" Luffy yelled looking at Robin. "YOU BASTARD!"

"Chill kid... when you freeze them right, they're still alive..." Aokiji still said in his calm voice. "But look out... they're easy to shatter like this, and if that happens, they die. For instance, if I punch her like so..." He said as he began to try to punch Robin.

"AAH! STOP!" Luffy said as he ran to try to stop him.

"ROBIN!" The rest of us yelled out.

"Hahh... that was close!" Luffy said as he sat on his knees holding Robin so Aokiji missed her."Gueh!" Luffy said as Aokiji stomped him in an attempt to stomp the frozen body of Robin. Usopp however, had put his running skills to use and snagged her before Aokiji could hit her.

"BOOYAH!" Usopp yelled out.

"Good job, Usopp!" Nami cheered.

"What are they doing...?" Aokiji asked a bit frustrated.

"Nng! Usopp! Chopper!" Luffy yelled out as he rolled out from under Aokiji`s foot. "Run straight to the ship! Help save Robin!"

"O-OK!" Usopp and Chopper replied.

"Kakusei, you go too!" Luffy yelled realizing I was paralyzed by my fear.

"Roger!" I replied a bit uneasy as I turned around and ran for the ship with Usopp and Chopper.

"Don't bother. We'll all be better off without her around," Aokiji said calmly just as Nami swung the Clima-Tact at him. He still caught it though.

"I hate to ruin your fun, but... that's what pirates are like," Nami replied.

"I'm glad you understand...! Now move, girl," Aokiji said as he grabbed her staff and knocked her away.

"AAH!" Nami cried out as she fell.

"NAMI-SAN!" Sanji yelled from his sitting position as he and Zoro got up.

"WAIT! YOU GUYS!" Luffy yelled out. "Stay out of this. We'll handle this, one-on-one! THIS FIGHT IS BETWEEN ME AND YOU." Luffy said as he took his stance with a frozen arm.

"I don't mind..." Aokiji said still calm. "… but I don't have a ship to take you in with... that means I'll have to kill you, you know?"

**-X-**

**Back at the ship…**

**-X-**

Chopper and Usopp were in the shower room trying to thaw Robin as safely as possible. I just sat on the mast cross-beam as many thoughts ran through my mind. What the hell is Ohara? Why did I yell it out like that? Why couldn`t I move against Aokiji? Was I scared of him?

"CHOPPER!" I heard a familiar voice yell as I saw Nami, Sanji, and Zoro in front of the ship.

"AHHH!" Chopper said looking at them as did I. "Why are you three back?"

"Hahh... hahh...!" Nami panted.

"We'll talk later!" Zoro yelled at Chopper. "Right now we have to go back! So hurry up and thaw us!"

"Uh, okay!" Chopper said thinking. "Ummmm... We have to melt the ice with water right away...! But Robin's in the shower room..."

"Is Robin okay?" Nami asked.

"We don't know yet," Chopper said as I jumped off the cross-beam and Zoro and Sanji jumped into the sea.

"What?" Nami said trying to get what was going on.

"Huh...?" Chopper said also confused a bit.

"Bwah...! Will this work?" Sanji said as he and Zoro surfaced.

"Melt the ice at low temperature... heat up the part of your body by rubbing it, and come up on the ship!" Chopper said somewhat calmly. "Nami, help me with Robin!"

"Okay!" Nami said before she noticed me beginning to run back. "Kakusei, where are you going?"

"I`m going back," I yelled as I ran. "I`m the only one who can stop or at least stall Aokiji, and right now I don`t give a damn what happens to me!" I bolted as I heard Nami yell my name. I finally got back to the battlefield just to see Aokiji freeze Luffy. "LUFFY!" I yelled at the top of my lungs as Aokiji gently set him down. "Damn it!" I yelled getting Aokiji`s attention again.

"It`s you," Aokiji said calmly. "I may have spared Robin and him, but you, I may have to kill."

"That`s fine, but if we fight, we go further away from Luffy," I said staying calm. Inside however, I was scared out of my mind. I was taking on an Admiral. "I don`t want my captain to die on me."

"That`s fine," Aokiji said calmly. "I want to find out more about you anyway." We began to walk away and he spoke up. "I`ve never seen you on a wanted poster, and yet you seem familiar, but you know of Ohara. That alone puts you as a threat. Where did you learn of that name?"

"I can`t say myself," I said a bit calmer now as we walked. "I`ve lost my memory since before I met my friends." I pointed to my head. "All I know is I`m here and I have to fight with my friends to survive."

"How do you know they aren`t evil?" Aokiji asked me, almost sounding inquisitive.

"Let`s call it intuition," I said covering my real past. "I know what Luffy`s done, and up till now, he`s done nothing but good, and that includes our friends, no matter their pasts."

"You and he seem similar," Aokiji said as he began to slow down. "But I wonder, what else do you know? I guess I may not find out."

"We`ll see about that," I said as he and I got into battle mode. I took my improvised stance while he just stood there normally. "Cause I`m probably the one guy on this crew who can kick your ass!"

**-X-**

The Davy Back Fight is over, but a new much tougher opponent has appeared! And Kakusei shows he knows more than he thinks he does.

Next chapter, the fight between Kakusei and Aokiji begins! Can he beat this frosty Pheasant?

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	24. Chapter 24

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 24: Ice, Swords, and Sand?**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

"I`ve lost my memory since before I met my friends," I said as I pointed to my head. "All I know is I`m here and I have to fight with my friends to survive."

"How do you know they aren`t evil?" Aokiji asked me, almost sounding inquisitive.

"Let`s call it intuition," I said covering my real past. "I know what Luffy`s done, and up till now, he`s done nothing but good, and that includes our friends, no matter their pasts."

"You and he seem similar," Aokiji said as he began to slow down. "But I wonder, what else do you know? I guess I may not find out."

"We`ll see about that," I said as he and I got into battle mode. I took my improvised stance while he just stood there normally. "Cause I`m probably the one guy on this crew who can kick your ass!"

"We`ll see," Aokiji said as he shifted to his half-ice form. He pulled his arm back and began making several large icicles. "Ice Block: Partisan!" he said as he threw the icicles at me like spears.

"Tatsumaki!" I yelled as I summoned a tornado to shield myself, destroying the icicles on impact.

"Another Devil Fruit user?" Aokiji asked aloud.

"Nope," I said as I fired off a Ki blast at Aokiji, which he just took, shattered, then reformed. "Just a martial artist with good Ki control."

"Ki?" Aokiji asked me. "Do you mean Douriki?"

"Can`t say," I said calmly. "I`ve never fought someone with Douriki, so I don`t know it that and Ki are the same thing. But I do know I can use my Ki to win here."

"Interesting," Aokiji said calmly as we stared down for a bit.

"_I can`t try to use Haki here,"_ I said in my mind. _"I don`t want to reveal all my tricks to him, and I can use my Ki to win."_

"Ice Ball," Aokiji said as he began freezing the ground around him, and it slowly began creeping towards me. The ice began rising higher, and realizing he was trying to trap me, I jumped up and got out of the Ice Ball that formed where I was. I stayed up in the air for a minute, keeping my distance from Aokiji. He just looked at me and asked, "Is that Ki too?"

"What do you think?" I asked back as I charged forward and set my left arm ablaze with electricity. "THUNDER LARIAT!" I slammed the inside of my lightning-charged arm into Aokiji`s neck, taking his head completely off. I quickly turned around to see his head reforming just fine.

"Lightning too?" Aokiji said thinking aloud. "You are a dangerous one. Your techniques almost seem… otherworldly…" He stopped to think for a bit, which surprised me that he`d do that in this kind of situation.

"_Looks like I`ll have to use some fire techniques,"_ I said in my mind. _"Good thing I practiced all the elements back when we were training."_

"Ice Block: Partisan!" Aokiji said as he flung more Icicles at me.

"Ryuu no Ibuki*1!" I yelled as I inhaled deeply and then breathed out a stream of fire, melting the Icicles coming at me.

"_So he can use fire also?"_ Aokiji said in his mind a bit unnerved. _"How many tricks does this boy have?"_

"Earth Golem!" I yelled as I slapped my palm onto the ground below me, which began to shift and shake. The ground began to crack as a humanoid shape rose out of a large fissure I created. I then ran forward a bit, and the golem did the same, but due to its size, it reached Aokiji before I did. It followed my motions, grabbing Aokiji in one fist as I motioned to. Aokiji on the other hand, stayed calm as the large golem tried to hold him.

"Ice Time," Aokiji said calmly as the golem I created began to freeze over. Then out of my control, the golem released Aokiji. "Not a bad idea. I can do that too," he said as he motioned for my golem to turn on me and attack. I willed it to turn around, and Aokiji did the same. We became locked in a struggle over the ice-covered giant, and after a few minutes struggle, the golem shattered under my influence.

"_This is taking up too much Ki to keep that golem intact,"_ I said in my mind as I took control of the pieces of rock, now free from the ice. "Golem Body Bullet!" I yelled as the golem pieces shot at Aokiji, and began literally chipping away at him, some pieces only grazing him, while others took off good chunks of his body, even limbs. He was unfazed however, because of the Hie Hie no Mi`s powers and he just regenerated from the ice around him. _"I`ve got to get closer, even though that`s risky,"_ I said in my mind again as I took a new stance.

"Hmm?" Aokiji said a bit confused I was changing stances.

"I have always wanted to say this line," I said as I let a huge Luffy-like grin jump onto my face. My right hand began glowing a bright red, and some flames began flickering off it.

"Fire again?" Aokiji asked himself wondering what I was about to do.

"This hand of mine burns like an INFERNO!" I yelled as I held my fingers together, and then split them to make a V-shape. "It`s loud roar tells me to grasp VICTORY!" I ran forward using the Fuupou, leaving a trail of red, orange, and yellow light behind me in a rainbow-like fashion. "Bakunetsu God FINGER*2!" I yelled as I jabbed my red-hot hand into Aokiji`s stomach and hoisted his body into the air.

"Gwah!" Aokiji said as he coughed up a bit of blood. I had hit him and negated his Devil Fruit Powers.

I began cranking up the heat in my hand as I pumped more and more Ki into my hand, and more and more heat into Aokiji`s body. "Heat… END!" I yelled as I sent off an explosion of heated Ki into Aokiji`s body, launching him off of my hand, and a good distance away. He slowly picked himself back up as he used some of the ice around him to absorb the excess heat so he could regenerate.

"_If I hadn`t used Busoushoku Haki at that moment, I`d be dead,"_ Aokiji said in his mind. _"Brown hair and eyes, a white sleeveless Gi with "Artist" in Kanji on the back, and otherworldly techniques. Could he be…?"_

"_What`s he thinking?"_ I asked in my own mind as I saw Aokiji stand still for a bit. I tensed up as he picked up some more grass blades and made his Ice Saber again.

"Boy," he said getting my attention. "How good are you with a sword?"

"Wind Busou: Wind Sword!" I said loudly as I created my wind sword. "I`m decent, but I know a guy like Zoro could easily beat me in a sword fight."

Aokiji just looked at how I was holding my sword. My blade was held behind me, in other words, I was holding the sword backwards. It was my personal tribute to the manga, _Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken_. "Then let`s see if I can," he said calmly as he charged me and swung his sword. I managed to block it, but it took me a bit to notice where he was swinging. I finally broke out of our struggle, and swung my sword as hard as I could.

"Avan Sword Style: Earth Slash!" I said as I made a clean cut through Aokiji`s body, causing him to stagger a bit with the force of my blow.

"Not bad," he said complimenting me as he reformed. Then he exhaled a cold breath at me, almost expecting me to do something.

Well, if I didn`t do something, I`d be a popsicle like Luffy. "Avan Sword Style: Sea Slash!" I yelled as I swung my sword quickly, the force of the swing cutting through the ice breath, and cutting Aokiji`s cheek as well. We were both shocked a bit as he started bleeding from the cut I made! I guess he hadn`t seen it coming. He quickly patched it up, however, and got back to the battle quickly. He swung his sword at me repeatedly and I kept deflecting his blows. That was about all I could do. Just then Aokiji began to surround me with ice again, and I knew what was coming.

"Ice ball," he said as he finished his technique quicker this time as to capture me. Just then, the Ice ball began to glow red, and it looked like there was a small tornado inside it. The Ice ball shattered as I revealed myself, now with a sword of flame and I was spinning around while swinging my sword at the same time.

"Kaen Kaiten Giri*3," I said calmly as I slowed to a stop and switched back to a wind sword. It`s less Ki to manipulate the air than to make fire after all. I charged Aokiji and began swinging my sword as hard and fast as I could.

"_His swordsmanship is poor at best,"_ Aokiji said in his mind as he parried my attacks. _"But his power and techniques are, as he put it, otherworldly. My hunch was right. This is who he was talking about!"_ We broke away from each other, and he took a lax stance again. "Boy, what`s your name?"

"Kakusei," I answered honestly. "That`s the name I`ve been going by since my Nakama found me. I was hoping the Marines wouldn`t find out my name so soon. Why do you ask the name of someone you want to kill?"

"It`d be pointless to try to kill you now," Aokiji said as he lowered his Ice Saber. "You must be the man he was talking about." Those words shocked me to my core, and I unintentionally lowered my sword as well.

"Wh-who was talking about me?" I asked nervously. "And what do you mean, "pointless"?"

"If we continue to fight, we`ll just end up exhausting ourselves," Aokiji said to me calmly. "I have a feeling you haven`t shown me everything you can do, and I haven`t either."

"What are you talking about?" I asked getting more and more nervous. Someone from this world was talking about me, and I had no idea who! "Exhausting ourselves? Who the hell gave you that idea?"

"He was right," Aokiji said keeping his calm. "You`re a poor swordsman with the technique and finesse of an amateur, but your raw physical strength and your techniques are truly "otherworldly", as he put it. And you match the somewhat vague description he gave; you have brown hair and brown eyes, a white sleeveless Gi with "Artist" written on the back in Kanji. He also said that you didn`t give your name to him, said that you told him, "You`d find out that soon enough" if I remember correctly. You seem to be missing a few things though."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, getting more nervous and concerned with who was talking about me. "A vague description? Poor swordsman? What do you mean?"

"But after seeing what you`ve done, I believe him," Aokiji continued disregarding my questions. "I can believe that you and he fought for three days straight."

"Three days straight?" I exclaimed loudly, very confused now. "Who the hell did I fight for THREE FUCKING DAYS STRAIGHT? AND WHERE THE HELL WAS THIS FIGHT?"

"You fought Dracule "Hawk-eye" Mihawk, for three days straight, a few miles from Arabasta`s capital, Alubarna, and the fight ended the day before the attempted takeover by former Shichibukai Crocodile," he said finally answering my question. My heart sank like a rock, my eyes shot open in fear, and I dropped my sword, causing it to dissipate back into the air. I couldn`t move a limb or bat an eye.

"I… I fought… I fought Hawk-eye Mihawk… for three days straight…" I said in utter disbelief at Aokiji`s words. He wasn`t lying about that, there was just no way he was lying! He had no signs of lying at all. I knew, just knew he wasn`t lying to me. For some goddamn reason, in my mind, I knew he wasn`t lying! Like the Ohara thing, I knew I was right, but I couldn`t remember a damn thing about why! And this fight took place for three fucking days, and right before the day Crocodile tried to take over Arabasta! I was near Alubarna before Luffy got there! How long have I been in this world? How many other people might know me? I dropped to my knees just as the thoughts kept running through my mind, still in shock. It was then that Aokiji spoke up.

"I see you really don`t know what I`m talking about," Aokiji said still calm as he began walking towards me. "But you seem to know it`s the truth, and you`re only in more trouble from here on out. Damn. Your captain tricked me. When I accepted his one-on-one showdown... Did he assume that I would win...? Was that it? To make sure I wouldn't harm the rest of your crew... That makes me seem boorish. Right... Kakusei? Or... Did he really think he could beat me? And you, did you know you could beat me, or were you really unaware of your true strength?" I just stayed in my knelt position unmoving, while I was still in shock. "One thing's for sure. In the future, you two will find... that Nico Robin will grow out of your control. Soon you will be unable to bear the terrible misfortune that the woman known as Nico Robin was born with. When you put her on a ship... that's what happens! Monkey D. Luffy! Kakusei!" He kicked a mound of ice that was created when he fought Luffy, shattering it. "It would be so easy to crush you here and end your life, Luffy... but I have a debt to pay. Let's call the stakes even... now that you've taken care of Crocodile for me. Plus... No... Never mind. That's just Smoker being stupid... Farewell..." And with that, Aokiji left.

A few minutes after Aokiji left the scene, Sanji and Zoro came upon us. "There they are!" Sanji yelled as he saw Luffy and I, immobile.

"Luffy! ...he hasn't been crushed...!" Zoro said in a bit of disbelief. "And Kakusei`s unharmed!"

"...thank goodness...!" Sanji said as he saw us. "Thank goodness! Pick them up!"

"Let's get them back to the ship!" Zoro said hurriedly.

-X-

"Following the Log... The next island should be... huh? Water Seven... the "Water Metropolis." Oh dear dear dear... That's gettin' close to HQ," Aokiji said to himself. "Oops, sorry there!" Aokiji said as he passed a dolphin on his bike as he froze the water he rode on.

-X-

A bit later, everyone was sitting outside the door to the lounge, waiting for some good news. I was still in shock over the things Aokiji said. I felt like I just found out my dad wasn`t my real father, or that I had just accidently killed my brother.

"Uhhh... uhh...!" Chopper said as he slammed open the door. "Both of their hearts... are beating!"

"YES! WAHOOO! LUFFY!" Usopp cheered as he dropped the bucket of towels he was carrying and cheered. I forced a smile out of happiness, but I was still out of it from before.

"Robin-chaaaan!" Sanji said as he jumped up with hearts in his eyes.

"No! You can't come in!" Chopper said trying to keep Sanji and Usopp out. "You're just gonna cause a ruckus!"

"Hey! Is there anything in particular I can cook up, Dr. Chopper?" Sanji asked enthusiastically.

"H-h-hey, don't think you suck up to me by calling me a doctor, you chump!" Chopper said dancing again in his appreciative way. "When they open their eyes... they could use some warm beverages to heat themselves up. We'll take them to the lounge on the second floor, later."

"Are we going to set sail, Nami?" Zoro asked.

"Not with our captain the way he is..." Nami said as she picked up the towels and bucket Usopp dropped. "…although we do have the Log. We'll stay here for another day." Usopp sighed heavily and he lay against the mast.

"What's wrong, Usopp? You bummed out?" Zoro asked Usopp as he slumped down on the deck.

"We're gonna have to deal with intense guys like that... all the time from now on," Usopp said sadly. "Even with Kakusei who managed to come out unscathed… I've just had enough screaming... for one day, thank you very much..."

"Get some sleep. You're just wasted," Zoro said calmly. "Kakusei, you alright?" I just sat on the deck, unmoving.

"I`ll… I`ll tell everyone later…" I said without any emotion.

-X-

We decided to stay four days so Luffy and Robin had time to rest. It was about two days after I fought Aokiji. His words still ran through my mind. _"You fought Dracule "Hawk-eye" Mihawk, for three days straight, a few miles from Arabasta`s capital, Alubarna, and the fight ended the day before the attempted takeover by former Shichibukai Crocodile."_ Those words, they never left my mind, I barely even ate because of them. Everyone wondered what was wrong, but Zoro just called them off for me. It was late at night, and I couldn`t sleep. I haven`t slept well in general, but after that fight, Aokiji`s words just seemed to haunt my dreams.

"Kakusei? What are you doing on my seat?" Luffy yelled from behind me, startling me a bit.

"Oh, hey Luffy," I said in a monotone voice. "Sorry." I climbed down off of the Merry`s figurehead.

"Kakusei, you alright?" Luffy asked me.

"It`s nothing," I said still monotone. Then Luffy punched me in the side of my face, sending me sprawling across the deck. "LUFFY, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" I yelled as I shot back up.

"You`re back to normal, aren`t you?" Luffy asked. I realized he had just snapped me out of my funk.

"Thanks Luffy, I needed that," I said sighing a bit.

"What was wrong with you?" Luffy asked.

"Aokiji told me something that… that made me lose it," I said. "Turns out I`ve been in this world longer than I thought."

"Aokiji…" Luffy said with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Luffy, you alright?" I asked.

"That fight with Aokiji made me think," Luffy said. "If he`s what some of the strongest guys are like, then if I don`t become stronger, I`ll lose all you guys. I don`t want to lose my Nakama."

"You mean if we don`t become stronger," I said to Luffy, gaining his attention for a bit. "Aokiji helped me realized something too. I don`t have a real fighting style. I realize that the basis of martial arts is mimicry of the moves of others, but I don`t really have anything. I can be stronger, and I have to carve my own path to do it, and you all have helped me so far."

"So, feeling better?" Luffy asked with his smile on my face.

"Yep," I replied. "So tomorrow, after I say something, we`ll use an ÄRM to help our training."

"Which one?" Luffy asked.

"That`s my surprise," I said as we began walking to our shared room. "I`ll talk about it in the morning."

**-X-**

Attack Explanations Corner:

1. Ryuu no Ibuki (Dragon`s Breath): A fire-based technique in which he deeply inhales then exhales a large stream of fire. It is similar in concept to the Fireball Jutsu from the manga, _Naruto_.

2. Bakunetsu God Finger (Exploding God Finger): This is the first finisher move for God Gundam aka Burning Gundam from the anime and manga, _G Gundam_. The English dub name for this attack is Erupting Burning Finger. I just used the Japanese attack because I think it sounds cooler.

3. (Kaen) Kaiten Giri [(Burning) Rotating Slash]: This attack comes from the _Legend of Zelda_, and is more commonly known as the Spin Attack. The name comes from the _Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ manga.

What a turn of events! (A/N: God, I really wanted to write this chapter! This fight has been lined up in my mind for months!) Just how long has Kakusei been in this world?

Next chapter, we have a bit more developments occurring and some secrets are explored. I`d also like to know whether you guys want me to write a few excerpts from the period of time Luffy and Kakusei are in the Training Gate.

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	25. Chapter 25

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 25: The Cat`s out of the Bag**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

**The Next Morning…**

**-X-**

"Guys, I wanna say something," I said at the table after breakfast.

"What is it?" Nami asked.

"It`s something Aokiji told me," I replied.

"WHAAAAT?" Everyone but Robin exclaimed at the same time. Robin just looked a bit shocked.

"Well, what is it?" Usopp asked. "What`d he say to you?"

"Before I say anything, I want to say this," I said building up the suspense as I kept a fairly neutral look on my face as I held my hands in front of my face, elbows resting on the table. "I`ve been here for longer than we thought, and I was, and possibly still am, much stronger than anyone here."

"And what the hell gives you the right to say that?" Sanji asked me. "We all have more combat experience than you do! Even Usopp!"

"Hey!" Usopp retorted.

"Let me say what Aokiji told me," I said still keeping my neutral face. "It turns out that I`ve fought Dracule "Hawk-eye" Mihawk and obviously I survived."

"WHAAAAAT?" Everyone exclaimed. Even Robin looked shocked at this.

"Yeah," I said moving my hands away from my face. "Apparently I fought him to a stand-still for three days straight as a swordsman. I don`t doubt Aokiji because he had a near perfect description of me from Mihawk, and somehow, I know he`s telling the truth."

"THAT IS SO COOL! WE HAVE A GUY STRONG AS MIHAWK ON OUR CREW!" Luffy yelled out in excitement and with stars in his eyes.

"When the hell did you fight him?" Zoro yelled at me in almost desperation. "And why the hell would he fight you?"

"I`m guessing I had a sword on me at the time," I said. "And it also turns out that the fight took place a few miles from Arabasta`s capital, Alubarna, and the fight ended the day before the attempted takeover by Crocodile." Again, I got another "WHAAAAAT?" from the crew. Robin was a bit less shocked this time.

"So that`s why you`ve been so out of it the past few days," Usopp said still in shock over what I said. "So you`ve been in this world since we fought Baroque Works in Alubarna?"

"That seems to be the case," I said still calm. "But what bugs me is why the hell did I end up in Alabasta, why didn`t I die of thirst or something, and when exactly did I arrive here? I don`t know any of that. Things just don`t add up."

"Well, what did Mihawk say about you?" Sanji asked still a bit shocked himself that I could take on a Shichibukai.

"Well, as Aokiji put it, he said my swordsmanship is poor at best, but my strength and techniques were otherworldly. The techniques I still have, and I agree with the swordsmanship comment, but I`ve become weaker, and I doubt being out of practice was the problem."

"So somehow, you`ve become weaker and you`ve been here longer than you thought?" Chopper asked.

"Well, the good news is we have a better idea of how long you`ve been here," Nami said speaking up. "And there`s got to be some way you can get back to normal strength."

"Actually, I think there is," Robin said speaking up as well. "Kakusei, remember when you helped lift the Golden Bell back in Skypeia?"

"I think you`re onto something Robin," I said smiling a bit.

"What does she mean?" Nami asked.

"Well, when the locals of Skypeia were hoisting up the Golden Bell, I lent them a hand," I said. "And suddenly, I felt a lot lighter, and when I pulled the rope, I pulled the Bell into the air, as well as sending everyone else flying. I then jumped over to the bell, and picked it up single-handedly. After you guys ran away, thinking it was a cannon, I used Instant Transmission to take it to Jaya and cashed it in. Nami and I have secured the money for certain circumstances."

"Well, I knew the last part," Nami said.

"So I take it you went back to "normal"?" Sanji asked.

"Yep," I replied. "I returned to my current strength and current level of Ki control. It`s like someone put a limiter or training weight on me."

"_Maybe it was him…"_ Robin said in her mind as she thought of Tetsuga, the man who showed her Kakusei`s mind.

"Anyway, I`m going to spend the next day training with Luffy, to try to get my strength back," I said still calm.

"I can`t let you do that!" Chopper retorted. "Luffy still needs to rest!"

"But I can let him rest and get some training in," I said slyly. "…with this." I held up the dragon-headed ÄRM. "This ÄRM is a Dimension ÄRM called Training Gate. In it, time passes 60 times slower. One day out here is 60 days in there. Luffy will rest for a few days, and then we`ll train for the remainder of the 60 days."

"You two are gonna spend two months in that thing?" Usopp asked. "Seems kinda cramped."

"Nami and Sanji have seen a Dimension ÄRM in action, so they know the kind of thing that`ll happen," I said calmly. "A gate will open in the deck of the Merry, and we`ll go to a pocket dimension where we can train."

"COOL!" Luffy and Chopper exclaimed with stars in their eyes.

"But I`ll follow Chopper`s advice and wait until later to use it, alright?" I said.

"That`s fine," Chopper said smiling.

"Then I`m gonna pass the time by sorting through the ÄRM we got from Foxy`s ship," I said as I used the Zipper ÄRM on my finger, shocking everyone but Nami and Sanji with the whole, "You made a zipper in mid-air" thing. I pulled the chest out as well as the other treasure we got from Foxy`s ship and let Nami divide that up as she pleased. She asked me to look over her divisions later so I would make sure if they were fair. As for the ÄRM we collected, I had also grabbed a few I recognized that wouldn`t fit in the chest due to their natural size. In the end we ended up with a few types of simple ÄRM, two types Holy ÄRM, fourteen types of Weapon ÄRM with a few copies of each, luckily only two Darkness ÄRM with a few copies, seven types of Dimension ÄRM including the Training Gate and Zipper, seven types of Guardian ÄRM, not that I wanted any of use to have to use them in large battles, seventeen different Nature ÄRM, some of which I wanted to use personally, and only one Ghost ÄRM (thank God, cause those are creepy). All in all, a good haul.

"Why don`t we want to use the Guardian ÄRM?" Usopp asked. "Summoning someone to fight in my place sounds awesome!"

"Yeah, it`s handy," I replied. "But when you summon a Guardian ÄRM, you aren`t able to move from the spot you summoned the Guardian. In most of our fights so far, our opponents tend to move and move fast. I don`t know about you, but I`d rather not be a sitting duck."

"Good point," Usopp said shuddering at the thought of not being able to run from an attack.

"What about this one?" Chopper said holding up the one Ghost ÄRM that we had.

"I`m the only one who uses that one," I said snatching away the ÄRM from Chopper. "Ghost ÄRM are way too creepy to use under normal conditions."

"Ghost ÄRM?" Robin asked, the name piquing her interest. "Why do you think they`re creepy?"

"Ghost ÄRM are powerful," I said thinking back to the manga MÄR. "But they fuse with the user and form biological weapons. This one, Howling Demon, turns the user`s hand into a mouth which shoots out energy blasts." Everyone but Robin looked a little repulsed at that thought.

"Would you mind explaining the other types?" Robin asked inquisitively.

"Not at all," I replied smiling a bit. "There are seven other types of ÄRM: Simple, Holy, Weapon, Darkness, Dimension, Nature, and Unique. Simple ÄRM are only tools when activated, and we got a few of those. Simple ÄRM don`t take any magic power to activate, so any of us can use them. Holy ÄRM are normally associated with healing or lifting curses. We have a few of those too. Weapon ÄRM are as the name states, weapons. Some are simple, while others can contain effects and abilities that the weapon can use. We got quite a good deal of those. Darkness ÄRM are the opposite of Holy ÄRM, they give curses, but at a cost to the user, like blindness or paralysis. As for Dimension ÄRM, you`ve seen them already. They can manipulate the world in some way, like the Zipper."

"Oh, I get it," Usopp said in realization.

"Anyway, as I was saying," I continued, "Nature ÄRM usually can manipulate an element in some way, like how I can with Ki. That`s the most of what we got. And Unique ÄRM are ÄRM that are literally one of a kind and don`t really fit in any category of ÄRM. We didn`t get any Unique ÄRM in our haul. But we did get plenty of Magic Stones."

"Magic Stones?" Usopp asked as I held up one, which was a small, red jewel about the size of a marble.

"This is a magic stone," I said calmly. "Magic stones are used to upgrade an ÄRM, so to speak. They can create new abilities for the ÄRM depending on the imagination of the person. However, since I have no knowledge of how to modify and ÄRM for equipping Magic Stones, we`ll have to hope any here are already modified."

"So that`s why you said they might rival Logia-Class Devil Fruit," Nami said walking in.

"They can rival Logia-Class DEVIL FRUIT!" Usopp and Chopper exclaimed.

"Only when created correctly," I said. "Some ÄRM have powers you couldn`t even have with Devil Fruit, so we may not need it. So Nami, I take it you need me to look over your divisions?"

"Yep," she said smiling a bit. "Over here." She ushered me to where she had divided the treasure, and I went over it for a bit with her watching me carefully.

"Looks good," I said after musing over the divisions.

"Hey, Kakusei, can you help the others catch some fish?" Sanji yelled out.

"Guess you better get going so we get some food tonight," Nami said jokingly.

"Yeah, but I won`t be long," I said as I took of my shirt and pants, revealing the shorts I had underneath. "Time for a dip." I dove into the water, shocking Nami a bit.

"_Wow, Kakusei has a great body,"_ Nami said in her mind after looking at my chest and back as I dove in. I swam around for a bit, dragging a mass of Ki behind me.

"Did Kakusei just dive into the water?" Sanji asked looking over the side of the Merry. "I thought he said he was going to help…" Sanji`s sentence was cut off by me flying out of the water and a stream of water flying behind me. "What the hell?"

"Someone order fresh fish?" I said as I manipulated the water around me, containing several of the island`s native and very elongated fish.

"Nice job Kakusei," Sanji said a bit astonished and happy. "Now this is fresh!" He grabbed a few fish and pulled them out of the water. "I`ll get started right away."

"Good thing I`ve come to like seafood," I said as Sanji returned to the kitchen and I returned the remaining fish to the sea. I began to get dressed, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Nami looking at me funny. "Yes Nami?" I said making her realized I noticed.

"Nothing," she said turning her head away and blushing a bit. A bit after I got dressed, Sanji opened the door.

"Hey guys! Dinner!" Sanji yelled causing Luffy to bolt to the door. I hurried cause I knew if Luffy ate my share, I wouldn`t get anymore.

**-X-**

**Later that night…**

**-X-**

I sat out on the deck, on my back, looking at the stars in the night sky. Tomorrow, I`m gonna start training hard with Luffy for two months straight. I plan to do a lot while I`m in there, including learning to master a few ÄRM. And for some reason, I just felt like singing tonight, so I had grabbed my guitar earlier. I sat up and picked up my guitar and began to strum it a bit to make sure it was in tune. Then I began to play and sing the song _Magnet_ from the _Vocaloid_ series.

(A/N: Italics here are a change in voice to recognize a second character singing.)

**Romaji (Japanese) Lyrics:**

Kabosoihi ga kokorono hashini tomoru  
Itsuno manika moehirogaru netsujou  
Watashino chou fukisokuni tobimawari  
Anatano teni rinpun wo tsuketa

_Karamiau yubi hodoite kuchibiru kara shitaeto_  
_Yurusarenai koto naraba naosara moeagaruno_

_Dakiyosete hoshii tashikamete hoshii  
Machigai nado nainda to omowasete  
Kiss wo shite nurikaete hoshii  
Miwakuno tokini yoishire oborete itaino_

_Sokubaku shite motto hitsuyouto shite  
Itoshiinara shuuchakuwo misetsukete  
"Okashii" noga tamaranaku sukini naru  
Ikeru tokomade ikeba iiyo_

_Mayoikonda kokoro nara _kantanni tokete yuku  
_Yasashisa nante kanjiru himanado nai kuraini_

_Kurikae shita no wa ano yume janakute  
Magiremo nai genjitsu no watashi-tachi  
Furetekara modorenaito shiru sorede iino...  
Dareyorimo taisetsuna anata  
_  
Yoakega kuruto fuande naite shimau watashini  
"Daijoubu" to sasayaita anatamo naite itano?

_Dakiyosete hoshii tashikamete hoshii  
Machigai nado naindato omowasete  
Kiss wo shite nurikaete hoshii  
Miwakuno tokini yoishire oboretai_

_Hikiyosete Magnet no youni  
Tatoe itsuka hanaretemo meguriau  
Fureteite modorenakute ii  
Sorede ii no dareyorimo taisetsuna_ anata

**English Lyrics:**

A slender flame burns at the edge of my heart  
Without warning, it spreads into a burning passion  
My butterfly, flitting around it chaotically  
Scales dropping into your hand

_I am wrapped around your finger from the lips to the tongue  
Even if this is something that cannot be allowed the flames jump higher still_

_I want to embrace you, I want you to tell me  
That you don't think this is a mistake  
I want you to kiss me, I want you to remake me  
I want to drown in this moment of captivation_

_Every moment, it's harder to restrain myself  
If this is love, I want to wear it on my sleeve  
The "strange feeling" turns into an unbearable longing  
I would follow you to the end of forever_

_If my heart goes astray _I will be easily relieved_  
as if we had no time to feel tender each other_

_That dream has never come again  
There is no chance in our reality  
If we touch, I know we can never go back and that's just fine...  
You are everything in the world to me  
_  
Anxiety arrives with the dawn to find me still crying  
When you whispered "it's all right" did I hear tears in your voice, too?

_I want to embrace you, I want you to tell me  
That you don't think this is a mistake  
I want you to kiss me, I want you to remake me  
I want to drown in this moment of captivation_

_I am drawn to you like a magnet  
Even if I left, we would find each other again  
I've touched you, I can never go back and that's just fine._  
You are everything in the world to me

"You`re still up?" I heard a voice say. Let`s see, one of two female voices, and this one sounded less calm.

"I could ask the same to you, Nami," I said looking behind me. "I thought you`d be in bed by now."

"I couldn`t sleep," Nami said. "Something popped into my mind again that I wanted to ask you, and that was a lovely song by the way. What`s it called?"

"It`s called Magnet," I said standing up and facing her. "It`s a romantic song from my world."

"Do you know more romantic songs?" she asked me.

"Yeah, I do," I said sheepishly, "but what did you want to ask me about?"

"It`s about what you told me during the Davy Back Fight, about the code phrase," Nami said looking a bit sheepish, which was unusual for her.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Why did you choose that phrase?" she looked at me with her usual confidence, but a bit more blush in her face than normal.

"Well, I wanted to choose something I`d never say under normal circumstances, so the guys would know what I really wanted them to do," I said calmly.

"Are you saying I`m unattractive?" Nami said a bit angry at me now.

"No, no, not at all!" I said a bit flustered. "I would never think of you in that way!"

"And what do you think of me then?" Nami said getting closer. Crap, I always laughed when I read other people getting in these situations in fan-fiction, but I never thought I`d be in one. I always wanted to avoid this kind of situation if I ever was talking to a female friend, and now I was in one. Dammit.

"Well, uh…" I began stuttering a bit as I began blushing. "I… umm…"

"C`mon, spit it out!" Nami said getting even closer. I swear her face was not more than two inches away from mine.

"I… I uh… think you are very attractive and well, to be blunt, cute and sexy," I said, my face now bright red. I swear Nami could feel my body temperature rising like a balloon.

"Well, I have one more question," Nami said looking into my eyes. I looked back into hers, seeing those maroon colors almost dance in the moonlight. My heart pounded. I could hear it in my ears and feel it beat in my throat.

"Wh-what?" I asked nervously. Immediately after I said that she wrapped her arms around my neck, stood on her toes to meet my face, and kissed me. She kissed me! She just gave me my first kiss of her own free will! My mind fried at this concept, and I swear I lost IQ points. Her lips were so soft, and so were her boobs as they pressed up against my chest (A/N: Yes, I said boobs. Deal with it. It`s a T-rated story.), but neither of us tried any tongue. I was too shocked to, and I think Nami was just testing the waters, so to speak. She only kept it up for a minute, and then she broke the kiss.

"Did you like that, Kakusei?" she asked me. I just stood there with a shocked yet pleased look on my face for a few seconds.

"N-nami," I began slowly. "Are you saying you love me?"

"What did you think I was saying?" Nami asked almost rhetorically. "Yes, I love you. I really do. I think you`re one of the few normal guys here on the ship, and you`re kind, sweet, and you`re very courteous, even if you are a bit of a perv sometimes. You`ve also taken the liberty to defend me every chance you got, like during the Davy Back Fight. And I have to say, your body is just the icing on the cake." She hugged me softly, and in my frazzled state, I blurted out the first thing that popped into my mind, not that I don`t do that already.

"B-but you`ve only known me for like, a month!" I said still a bit nervous and stammering. "Sure, I`ve known about you for years, but I`ve only known you personally for a month! Aren`t we going a little fast?"

"Are you saying you don`t love me?" Nami asked looking very cute and hurt at the same time.

"No, I`m not saying that!" I almost yelled out. "I`m saying I`m not sure." I looked in her eyes and held her softly. You could just take our picture and paste it on a romance novel. "I`ve had a lot of things thrown at me over the past few days. Give me a bit to think about this, okay?"

"Alright," Nami said as she kissed my cheek. "I`ll wait for your answer. Good night, Kakusei."

She walked back to her room, leaving me just standing there, on the deck, alone and confused. Where do I stand on who I love? When Sanji asked me if I loved anyone, I thought of Robin. She was the first one, besides Luffy, to really accept me into the crew. Sure, she`s ten years older than me, but she was beautiful, intelligent, and those deep blue eyes and knock-out figure could sway most sane men. And then there was Nami. She was about my age, had a knock-out figure as well, and was still growing for that matter. She was cute, and sexy, and she just told me she loved me. I don`t even have an inkling of whether Robin likes me or not, and I know Nami does love me. If I go with her, I have a girlfriend who I know loves me, or I can go for Robin and chase after a woman who might not even love me. And now I have to choose between them. Do I go with Nami, a girl I know I can be happy with, or with Robin, a girl who seems like an impossible dream? Nami or Robin, Nami, Robin, Nami, Robin…! I ran up the mast, jumped off the crow`s nest and flew as high as I thought I needed to. I took a deep breath, held it for a second, and yelled at the top of my lungs in frustration.

"WHY THE HELL DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO DAMN COMPLICATED?" I yelled, venting my frustrations to the world. Not like anyone could hear me on the island. Tonjit might have heard me, but he was probably asleep by now. I floated back down and waked to the guy`s room to try to go to sleep.

**-X-**

**On Long Ring Long Island…**

**-X-**

"Hmm, it seems that Kakusei is having a bit of a romantic dilemma," Tetsuga said as he mused over what he just heard Kakusei scream to the heavens. "I`m sure his heart will lead him to the right place."

"Oh, it will," said an unknown figure with a deep voice as he revealed himself to Tetsuga. He was at least half a foot taller than Tetsuga, he had a bigger build, was wearing a brown cloak, which hid the majority of his face, even in the moonlight. All you could get from his face was a thick, brown goatee-beard, and obviously an adult jaw line.

"You, you`re not from this time period," Tetsuga said mysteriously. "Are you the one causing the ripple in this timeline?"

"No, it`s not me," the figure said smiling a bit. "Kakusei is still the second reason for the interference."

"Second reason?" Tetsuga asked. "What`s the first?"

"You`ll find out in due time," the figure said mysteriously. "I just wanted to see my past self beginning one of his most troubling dilemmas and also the start of finding himself."

"Hmm," Tetsuga said smiling under his metal wolf mask. "So that`s who you are. Should I call you by name, Kakusei?"

"If you want," the future Kakusei said revealing who he really was, but not taking his cloak off. "I just wanted to revisit the past for a bit. Now, if you don`t mind, I have to get back to my wife. It`s our anniversary tonight."

"Which one does he hook up with, if you don`t mind my asking?" Tetsuga asked the future Kakusei.

"I thought you knew that a person can`t give out information about the future," the future Kakusei said as a blue and indigo energy circle was created in mid-air, forming a portal. "Isn`t that why you sealed my memories in the first place?"

"Wait, didn`t you just?" Tetsuga asked as the future Kakusei slipped through the portal and went back to his own time, the portal closing behind him. "Heh, I should have expected as much. Looks like you don`t change that much in the future, Kakusei."

**-X-**

**The Next Morning…**

**-X-**

"Damn it, I can`t seem to find it," I said ruffling my hair as I walked up to Luffy in the early hours of the morning on the deck of the Merry.

"Find what?" Luffy asked as he looked at the ÄRM I was carrying on my body. I was wearing a few rings, a bracelet, and had a keychain on my belt.

"The Training Gate ÄRM," I said. "I`ve searched this ship from top to bottom and I can`t find it. I swear I put it right next to me last night."

"Looking for this?" a voice said causing Luffy and I to look where it was coming from. It was a cloaked man in a metal wolf mask, and he was holding the Training Gate! But it was modified with four Magic Stones!

"What the hell?" I asked. "How did you get that, and how did you put those on it?"

"That doesn`t really matter, and it`s not like you had the magic power to use this anyway," the man said from beneath his mask.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "And who are you?"

"Just because you can use the Zipper, you thought you could use this, right?" he asked. That freaked me out a bit. How the hell did this guy know I used the Zipper ÄRM? "And as for my name, you can call me Tetsuga. I hope you liked the gift I gave you in Skypeia. You seem to be using it well enough."

"Wait, you`re the one who gave me the guitar?" I yelled out in astonishment.

"Dimension ÄRM: Training Gate!" Tetsuga yelled as a silver set of doors suddenly appeared under Luffy`s feet and mine. The doors opened, and we dropped into the Training Gate, with Tetsuga following us closely. The gates closed behind us and we began our two month training period.

A couple of hours later, the others found the doors in the middle of the Merry`s deck.

"I guess Luffy and Kakusei got an early start," Nami said calmly.

"I figured Luffy would wait until breakfast," Sanji said calmly as well. "Oh well, less food I have to cook."

"Interesting," Robin said as she looked at the doors. "So this is the power of ÄRMs."

**-X-**

Well, the cat is certainly out of the bag now! (A/N: God, I really wanted to write this chapter too! And thanks to Avril170 on deviantart for the lyric translation! ) From now on, do you guys just want me to post the song lyrics I use from Japanese songs in English, Japanese Romaji, or both?

Now that Kakusei knows Nami likes him, how will he change? Will he retain his feelings for Robin, or side with the spunky Nami? And what exactly happened in the adjusted Training Gate?

Next chapter, we have a brief glimpse into the training of Kakusei and Luffy!

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	26. Chapter 26

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 26: Training Gate Montage**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

"Just because you can use the Zipper, you thought you could use this, right?" he asked. That freaked me out a bit. How the hell did this guy know I used the Zipper ÄRM? "And as for my name, you can call me Tetsuga. I hope you liked the gift I gave you in Skypeia. You seem to be using it well enough."

"Wait, you`re the one who gave me the guitar?" I yelled out in astonishment.

"Dimension ÄRM: Training Gate!" Tetsuga yelled as a silver set of doors suddenly appeared under Luffy`s feet and mine. The doors opened, and we dropped into the Training Gate, with Tetsuga following us closely. The gates closed behind us and we began our two month training period.

**-X-**

**Day 1**

**-X-**

Luffy and I landed on the ground with a THUD! I slowly picked myself up whereas Luffy got up immediately, cause, you know, he`s made of rubber. Tetsuga landed on his feet, perfectly.

"You could have given me a bit of warning you know!" I yelled at Tetsuga, a bit angrily.

"Yes, but it wouldn`t have been as funny," Tetsuga said behind that mask of his. Luffy laughed at this, being his usual self, but it just ticked me off a bit.

"Why don`t you take off that mask?" I asked.

"I`m sorry, I can`t do that," Tetsuga said calmly. "At least not at this time. Anyway, I should probably say what adjustments I`ve made to the Training Gate."

"Please do," I said crossing my arms and legs as I sat.

"Well, for starters," Tetsuga said calmly, "now we can train in any environment." As he said this, we went from a forested valley with some ruins in it, to a bleak desert with a few cactuses.

"So cool!" Luffy yelled with stars in his eyes.

"Okay, I`m impressed," I said. "Anything else important?"

"Well, we can also have any food, clothes, or other amenities needed," Tetsuga said as he held out his hand, and a bowl of ramen appeared out of nowhere.

"FOOD!" Luffy yelled as he grabbed the bowl and ate the ramen quickly. "Good, but I like Sanji`s food better."

"Of course," Tetsuga said. "Can`t have you wanting to stay in here forever."

"Alright, that makes 2 out of 4 magic stones, so what else did you do?" I asked.

"Well, I can create multiple different time displacements here now, so you two can train at different rates," Tetsuga said calmly. "You`ll need it if you`re gonna catch up to Luffy. And lastly…" As he said that, a human shaped-light formed and began changing shape, until the light faded, revealing Son Goku FROM DRAGON BALL!

"COOL!" Luffy yelled with stars in his eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL?" I yelled in shock. "YOU MADE SON GOKU APPEAR! FOR WHAT?"

"To train you properly and for you to train against," Tetsuga said calmly.

"YOU WANT US TO FIGHT SON FUCKING GOKU?" I yelled at the top of my lungs in shock and fear. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US?"

"What`s up with you?" Luffy asked me.

"Luffy, Son Goku is one of the guys who are stronger than any guys in this world," I said slowly. "He can destroy a planet, and fight faster than the eye can see."

"COOL!" Luffy yelled again with stars in his eyes.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" I yelled as I chopped his head a bit. "How the hell are we supposed to keep up with Son Goku?"

"Relax," Tetsuga said, "this isn`t the Son Goku from the end of Dragon Ball Z, this Son Goku is from near the end of the Freiza arc. You`ll only be fighting someone one hundred times stronger than a normal fighter."

"Okay, that makes me feel a bit better," I said calming down. "But shouldn`t we start with the Son Goku from the end of the Saiyan arc? You know, someone, oh I don`t know, closer to our level?"

"Now that wouldn`t be much of a challenge, would it?" Tetsuga asked.

"Luffy, you rest. I`m up first," I said calmly. "I guess now`s the time to find my own fighting style, huh?"

"It is," Tetsuga said as he reached under his cloak. "Put these on." He threw me a pair of bokken which, when I caught them, realized they were much heavier than normal bokken. "For weight training and sword practice later."

"Alright," I said as I strapped the bokken to my back and took my fighting stance. "Let`s get to work!"

**-X-**

**Day 21**

**-X-**

"Man, I`m beat," I said as I sat down in our improvised home. Luffy tossed me a piece of meat on a bone and I ripped off a chunk with my teeth. "Thanks."

"No problem," Luffy said taking a bite out of his. "That was so cool what you did yesterday!"

"What? You mean that technique?" I said a bit proudly. "It`s just some fast punches."

"Are you kidding, I can barely keep up with it!" Luffy said praising me. "I had to use that technique we worked on to match it!"

"By the way, your Ki control is getting better Luffy," I said complementing him.

"Really?" he asked. "You think?"

"Yeah, I do," I said taking another bite out of my meat. "Soon, you`ll be able to control that like your own hand."

Tetsuga then walked up to us and sat down. "21 days here, and you guys have been fighting 100 times a day since day 3."

"Yeah, and I still can`t beat Luffy," I said smiling about it.

"This isn`t as much as I used to fight," Luffy said stripping his meat off the bone and picking up another one. "Back then, I fought 150 times a day."

"150!" I said surprised. "Wow, no wonder you`re so strong."

"Yeah," Luffy said looking a little sad. Well, I`m sure I`ll remember what it was eventually. I mean, I had to have read about Luffy`s past before coming here, right?

"You`re both getting faster," Tetsuga said breaking the awkward silence. "I think it`s time you two learn what a real fighter is in this world."

"Hmm?" Luffy and I asked.

"I`m going to put you two up against a warrior with skills from other fighters in this world," Tetsuga stated. "And Kakusei, you`ll also be doing double duty as your swordsmanship training begins tomorrow too."

"Are you trying to kill me?" I asked almost yelling. "I need some time to rest!"

"You`re getting it now, aren`t you?" Tetsuga asked calmly. Damn him and that logic.

"True," I said sighing heavily. I took a huge drink of the root beer I had in my other hand. "Shall we get back to work?"

"Yep!" Luffy said as he swallowed another 5 pieces of meat.

"Alright then," Tetsuga said as he summoned what looked like a black human body with no facial features whatsoever. Like a mannequin with a blank face. "Here`s your opponent, I hope you learn something from him."

**-X-**

**Day 38**

**-X-**

"Your swordsmanship is improving," Tetsuga said commenting on me.

"Well, you`ve been putting me up against some of the best swordsmen I know!" I said commenting on his training method. "You`ve put me up against Himura Kenshin, Mugen, Dai, Avan, Asakura Yoh, even Shigure! I`m surprised I haven`t been cut to ribbons!"

"And you haven`t because you`re improving," Tetsuga said calmly. "Soon you`ll be on par with Zoro."

"And by my standards, that`s fine," I said relieved.

"I thought you wanted to aim higher," Tetsuga said. "Don`t you have your friends to protect?"

"Why I fight is none of your business," I said snapping at him. "If I can get back to the level of strength I had, I can fight on par with the Shichibukai."

"_I hope he starts thinking about the future a bit more,"_ Tetsuga said in his mind. _"If he doesn`t, he`ll be in deeper shit than he realizes…"_

"Anyway, back to practice," I said breaking Tetsuga`s train of thought.

"You`re an eager one," Tetsuga said. "At least you finally stopped complaining."

"Oh shut up," I said calmly. "I need to get to work on the ÄRM training I intended."

"Now what do you intend to use the ÄRM for?" Tetsuga asked inquisitively.

"Again, none of your business!" I said. "I barely know who you are, so why should I say my reasons to you?"

"Keeping secrets from strangers," Tetsuga said explaining the most obvious reasons I`m not talking. "Makes sense." I began walking back to our designated training area. _"Even though I already know most things about you…"_

**-X-**

**Day 50**

**-X-**

"Ten more days in here," I said holding my hands behind my head. "It feels almost homey in here now."

"Still, it`ll be nice to have Sanji`s cooking again!" Luffy said excitedly.

"Is food all you think about?" I asked rhetorically. This is Luffy I`m talking about after all.

"Well, you two are doing a great job," Tetsuga said calmly. "Kakusei should be able to use the Training Gate by himself with the Magic Power he`s accumulated."

"I damn well hope so," I said sarcastically. "I put a lot of work into learning to use those ÄRMs."

"Well, I wouldn`t begin slacking off during the final stretch," Tetsuga said. "Cause I saved the best opponent for last."

"Who?" Luffy and I asked simultaneously.

Tetsuga grabbed his cloak and threw it off, revealing a suit like the ANBU Black Ops from Naruto, and kept that metal wolf mask of his on his face, which covered most of his face. The rest of his head was covered by a hood in the skin-suit. He also had a long Katana strapped to his back. "Me," he said calmly.

"You`re shitting me," I said in disbelief. "There`s no way we`re gonna fight you! We`ll kick your ass!" as soon as I finished saying that, Tetsuga appeared right in front of Luffy and slammed his palm into Luffy`s face, sending him flying across the area.

"Dammit! THAT HURT!" Luffy yelled, clutching his face. This bastard can hurt Luffy? Now I was in trouble.

Immediately, he appeared in front of me, then dropped and swept my feet out from under me, then tackled me in my back, sending me flying into Luffy. "What was that about you two kicking my ass?" Tetsuga asked now sounding a bit cocky.

Luffy and I picked ourselves up and got into fighting mode. "We`ll show you!" we said simultaneously as we charged at him.

**-X-**

**Day 60**

**-X-**

"Take this last day off to rest and relax," Tetsuga said calmly as we finished out final sparring session. Luffy and I dropped to the ground exhausted. Nine days of fighting Tetsuga was much harder than we thought.

"Shishishi, that was fun!" Luffy said smiling as he did while he laid on the ground.

"Yeah, I guess it was," I said as I laid beside Luffy with my limbs sprawled out on the ground. "We`ve really done a lot here, haven`t we?"

"Yep," Luffy replied.

"Did you think of a name for your fighting style?" Tetsuga asked as he put his cloak back on and sat down next to me.

"I did," I said between heavy breaths.

"What?" Luffy asked panting less hard than I was.

"I`m gonna call it the Mantenken," I said replying happily.

"Mantenken?" Luffy asked aloud. "It does sound cool! But why that name?"

"Mantenken means 10,000 Heaven Fist," I replied. "I wanted the name to represent the more than 10,000 possible universes out there, including my home and this one, that I can draw knowledge and fighting moves and styles from."

"That sounds like a very Zen meaning and name," Tetsuga commented as he sat beside me. "It`s a good choice."

"Thanks," I said breathing a little less heavy now. "I`m gonna take… a little… nap." I quickly fell asleep and Luffy had already fallen asleep about a minute before I did.

"Heh, guess they`re both pretty tired," Tetsuga said as he sat back up. "They deserve a little nap. And I better get my little present together."

Luffy and I woke up a bit later, with Tetsuga nowhere in sight.

"Where`d the wolf mask guy go?" Luffy asked.

"No idea," I said looking around for Tetsuga. Suddenly, the environment shifted to Korin`s tower from Dragon Ball, and there was Tetsuga, with a copy of Korin, and holding a small cloth bag. "Okay, how did you do that?"

"The environment change and temporal distortions," Tetsuga said calmly under that mask of his. "I was getting your farewell present ready."

"Farewell present?" I asked as he tossed me the cloth bag, and as I caught it, I got a feel of what was in it. I undid the string and looked inside, confirming my suspicions. "Wow, you sure we can have these?"

"Sure," Tetsuga said. "That`s probably the only food item you can take out of here. Clothes can also come out of here as well, so make some clothes to your style, if you want."

"Thanks, but I`ve got enough clothes for now," I said tying the cloth bag to my belt. "So how do we get out of here?" Tetsuga just pointed up as a pair of silver doors appeared over our heads. "Thanks. Well, Luffy, we`re done here, for now. Let`s get back to the others."

"Yay! I can finally eat Sanji`s cooking again!" Luffy cheered as he jumped for the doors as they opened for us.

"Damn, all you do think about is food!" I yelled jokingly as I followed him.

"I guess it`s time for me to take my leave as well," Tetsuga said as he vanished and the doors closed completely.

**-X-**

**Back on the Ship…**

**-X-**

Our crewmates watched as the silvery doors opened again, almost a day later after we had gone in, and Luffy and I jumped out, no worse for the wear. Luffy looked relatively unchanged, but my hair had grown out a bit, and was now about three inches from brushing my shoulders. I had also gained a good deal of muscle definition from the training, and my body also felt much lighter without the bokken strapped to my back, but I also felt weird without them.

"Ah, it`s good to be home," I said stretching a bit.

"Wow, you sure grew up a bit," Nami said as I looked at her. I looked around and noticed I had gotten a bit taller. I was looking a bit downward at Robin to meet her eyes.

"Sweet. Growth Spurt," I said happy with this.

"You also got more athletic looking," Robin commented looking at my muscles. I was slim, but defined. Just how I wanted it.

"So what`d you learn?" Zoro asked.

"We learned a lot!" Luffy yelled loudly. "I figured some new ways to fight, and Kakusei figured out his fighting style."

"And it wasn`t easy, I`ll tell you that," I said jokingly.

"So, what kind of fighting style do you use now?" Sanji asked me.

"I call it the Mantenken," I said calmly.

"That means 10,000 Heaven Fist, right?" Robin asked curiously.

"Yeah," I replied. "I wanted the name to represent the more than 10,000 possible different Heavens I can gain experience and knowledge from."

"Well, if anything, it sounds awesome," Usopp said giving me a thumbs-up.

"Sanji, can you make some breakfast?" Luffy asked. "I`m hungry."

"You`re always hungry," Sanji and I said sarcastically and simultaneously. This made everyone laugh as Sanji went into the kitchen to fix us all breakfast.

"Hey, Kakusei, where`s the Training Gate?" Nami asked me.

"Hmm?" I said as I quickly checked my person, trying to find the ÄRM. Then I remembered Tetsuga had it. It was at that moment I found the Training Gate in my pocket, like I had it all along. Wow, Tetsuga was fast.

"Something wrong Kakusei?" Nami asked me, snapping me back to normal.

"Oh, nothing Nami," I said calmly.

"Did you think about what I said?" she asked sweetly as looked me in the eyes.

"Well, even though I had about two months to, I was more concerned with surviving my training," I said blushing a bit.

"Was it really that bad?" Usopp said overhearing that part of it and shuddering a bit in fear.

"Well, when you`re fighting some of the strongest guys and girls you know of, it`s pretty much learn to survive, not just fight," I said happily. "But I got a crash course in fighting, so now I feel confident that I can hold my own, no matter what comes our way."

"That`s good," Usopp said sighing with relief.

"Breakfast!" Sanji yelled from the kitchen.

"Food!" Luffy yelled as he bolted to the kitchen.

"Puppet-master Technique!" I yelled as I opened my hands with my fingers pointed at Luffy. He froze instantly, shocking everyone who saw, and Robin only had her curious look on her face.

"How did you do that?" Usopp asked.

"That`s so cool!" Chopper said with stars in his eyes.

"I figured out how to do this Ninjutsu while I was in the Training Gate," I said as I held Luffy in place. "Everyone else, get your food so Luffy doesn`t eat it all."

"Finally, someone can stop Luffy," Zoro said with a chuckle as everyone else went inside.

"Dammit, Kakusei, let me go!" Luffy said as he struggled to get free.

"Alright," I said as I released Luffy, causing him to run into the wall instead of the door.

"You have got to teach me that," Sanji said laughing a bit at Luffy as I walked inside, with Luffy close behind.

**-X-**

**Later that night…**

**-X-**

"So that`s what happened," Robin said after I finished my story of our 60 day training period. "How did Tetsuga modify the Training Gate?"

"I have no idea," I said calmly as I stared out into the inky black sea. "But he does seem to want to help, if only indirectly. Just wondering, how did you know of Tetsuga?"

"He showed me your memories of this world when we were in Skypeia, after you defended me," Robin said calmly.

"He`s a strange one alright," I said looking at Robin. "He knows of me, my memories, and even of other worlds. All these things make me wonder who the hell he is… Anyway, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Alright," Robin replied. "What for?"

"I need some advice," I said looking down at the water. "The thing is, Nami told me she loves me and kissed me."

"I know," Robin said shocking me. "I was watching the two of you. I heard you singing."

"I see," I said a bit embarrassed. "Well, the thing is, she asked me if I love her too, and I`m not sure. I`m attracted to her, but I have no idea if I love her. What should I do?"

"Well, I`m not very experienced with matters of love," Robin said calmly and laughing a bit. "Have you had any advice in this type of matter before?"

"Well, a wise man once told me that if you really love someone," I said almost like I was telling a story, "you`ll want to be with them for the rest of your life. I`ve also learned that you`ll feel love for that person even if you don`t feel attracted to them at the moment."

"Well, then I guess this will have to be something you`ll have to figure out on your own," Robin said getting ready to leave. "Good luck."

She turned around and somehow tripped and began to fall forward. I did what came natural and ran right behind her in a split second and caught her by the waist. I brought her back up and unintentionally brought us both face to face. We both just stood there for about half a minute, Robin in awe or shock of my speed, and me in a stupor over how uncomfortably romantic this situation was. I blushed a bit as I let her go.

"Uh, sorry," I said embarrassed over what happened.

"No, thank you," Robin said regaining her usual composure and smiling at me. "You saved me from a nasty fall." The she kissed me on the cheek, making me turn beet-red with a mix of feelings. "Good night." She went to the girl`s room and left me standing there in my mix of embarrassment, happiness, and other emotions.

**-X-**

Ah, the Training Gate is finally done with. But this won`t be the last we see of this ÄRM, you can bet on that. And now Kakusei is left even more confused about where he stands in love!

I just wanted to say thank you to all my viewers, watchers, readers, and reviewers who have given me the confidence and praise that has gotten Brand New World where it is today. I can only hope that the next year brings us more good times in this story and in One Piece. And a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza, and a happy whatever else is celebrated this time of year to everyone!

Next chapter, we move onto the city of shipwrights, Water 7!

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	27. Chapter 27

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 27: Premonitions, Power, and a Problem**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

**-Kakusei`s journal-**

**-X-**

Well, we ended up staying another 3 days on Long Ring Long Land so Robin could get some rest and Luffy and I could adjust to our training results. I write this entry the morning of the 3rd day after we left the island. During that time between when we left and now, I had a strange dream one night.

_-Flashback-_

"What? Where am I?" Kakusei said as he looked around seeing nothing but white.

"I needed to talk to you," a deep and calm voice said, causing Kakusei to turn around and see a Japanese Dragon made of Blue flames. The dragon then curled into a ball of flames, shifted to a human-like shape, and the flames dissipated, revealing a man with long, white hair, piercing blue reptile-like eyes and a slim-looking physique dressed in a traditional Japanese Jujitsu uniform, complete with tabi socks and sandals.

"And you are?" Kakusei asked.

"I am called Seiran," the man said calmly. "It took your passage into this world and being here to awaken me."

"So you`re saying you`ve been inside me since I got here and now you need my help?" Kakusei asked in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"No, but you`ll need mine," Seiran said still calm. "Do you remember that dream you had a while ago?"

"Wait… That was you?" I said in shock realizing he was the blue-flame dragon from that earlier dream.

"Yes, it was, or, I should say, will be," Seiran said. "You saw a vision of the future."

"Okay, that`s not that implausible," Kakusei said calmly. "That kind of thing has happened to me before. But that was back home and I couldn`t control it."

"While that may be true, your arrival here caused what you dubbed as the MÄR effect," Seiran said calmly. "Not only did your physical abilities increase your natural ability to have those visions increased as well."

"So I may be able to control them one day?" Kakusei asked.

"It is possible," Seiran said calmly. "But your visions will become more frequent if anything."

"Alright," Kakusei said as the blank world around them began fading. "Guess I`m waking up."

"You are," Seiran replied. "I should be able to make contact again in a few days. We`ll talk again."

_-End Flashback-_

Since then, I haven`t heard the supposed contact from Seiran, but he may still pop up soon.

"_Did you think I was lying?"_ I heard in my head.

"Seiran?" I asked mentally.

"_It is,"_ he replied. _"I kept my promise."_

"So why are you talking to me in my head?" I asked him.

"_Well, I figured you could use a second opinion in your life, and I wanted to learn in first perspective what`s going on,"_ he replied.

"Just what I needed, another little voice in my head," I replied sarcastically.

"_I`m the only other voice in your head,"_ Seiran said.

"Oh shut it," I said a bit ticked about the idea of having a lingering voice in my head. I closed my journal and walked out onto the deck to see Nami lounging, and Sanji and Zoro arguing again. Then Luffy popped a flour sack made did his impersonation of his frozen self. He always approaches the bad with comedy, when appropriate. Then Luffy asked Nami where she got her food, and she told him Sanji made it, causing Luffy to ask for some, while Sanji and Zoro continued to argue. Then the door opened, drawing Nami and my attention.

"Robin!" Nami said, drawing the remaining crew`s attention to her as she came out.

"Robin, how`re you feeling?" Chopper asked happily. "Do you feel cold?"

"Thank to you I feel great now," Robin said with her smile on her face. "Thanks doctor."

That sent Chopper into his happy denial dance, and Nami told Robin she didn`t have to get up because Luffy was up while stretching Luffy`s face.

"Robin, I`ll make you something warm," Sanji said with a smile on his face. "What would you like?"

"May I have a cup of coffee?" Robin asked.

"OF COURSE!" Sanji replied. As Sanji served Robin coffee, the rest of us had lunch. Luffy, Chopper and Usopp were having a discussion about what paille was, leading to Usopp spinning another tall tale. As I was eating, all of a sudden, my vision whited out for about a second, then I saw a frog swimming ahead of our ship doing the breaststroke, then a train station and a train heading right at us, and then a city that looked like a water fountain.

"_And there`s your first vision,"_ Seiran said in my head. _"The first one in daylight anyway."_

"It was?" I asked him.

"Oi, Kakusei, you alright?" Zoro asked me bluntly before turning his head back out to the ocean.

"Yeah, I`m fine," I said as Zoro and I just saw the frog I saw in my vision.

"Is that a frog?" Zoro asked.

"Swimming in free-style?" Usopp asked.

"Follow that frog!" I yelled almost dropping my lunch. If my past experience with Psychic visions have taught me anything, it`s follow them.

"Let`s catch him!" Luffy yelled agreeing with my statement. With that, we broke out the oars and started paddling to catch it, and after Nami asked why we changed course, we found out Luffy wanted to eat it… Of course he does. Then Nami whipped out a pair of binoculars and found out the frog was heading for the lighthouse. After a confirmation from Robin and a little recipe on preparation of frog from Sanji, we headed over there. A few minutes later, we caught up to the lighthouse and the frog stopped at our side. We began heading a strange sound which got louder and louder, and then someone yelled at us to turn around immediately. Then we all turned and saw a train on the sea, vision number 2.

"Shit!" I yelled as we barely out of the way of the train just in time, as the train shot by where we just were.

"But that shape…" Nami said shocked at the train. "It shouldn`t be able to sail!" Then the frog got slammed by the train, sending it flying. Well, 2 out of three so far, which means our next stop was that giant fountain city.

"That ship was blowing smoke…" Chopper said in shock. Again, Robin and I were the only two not in shock over what we just saw. I was still scared to almost shitting my pants over that. I`ve seen the train carnage videos back home…

"Ah! Oh no! Grandma, Grandma, pirates!" yelled a little girl in a striped dress with braided pigtails that stood straight out of her head.

"What? Really, Chimney? Hokay, jush wait a shec!" replied a large woman wearing a hat that looked like a cross between a chef`s hat and conductor`s hat.

"Uh-oh, someone's coming out of the building!" Zoro said getting ready for a fight. "They're gonna call for backup..."

"Nope," I said. "And you`ll see why soon."

"UH...! H'LLO? UMMMM! What wash it again? I fergot! HIC!" the lady said in a drunken slur.

"SHE'S DRUNK!" Zoro and Usopp yelled simultaneously.

"And that`s why," I said smiling happily.

"Ohhh... Paille? I see... Makes a good snack for drinkin' beer," the lady said after hearing Luffy`s explanation of what happened.

"Wow, this is yummy! My name is Chimney!" Chimney said as she and her rabbit munched on the paille. "This is my cat Gonbe, and Grandma Kokoro!"

"Uh, that`s not…" Usopp tried to say before I stopped him.

"Let her believe what she wants to," I said calmly. "Besides, Gonbe acts like a cat."

"Y'all better not be train robbers, y'hear me? Ngagaga!" Kokoro said laughing.

"I'm Luffy, the future Pirate King!" Luffy said introducing himself.

"Really?" Kokoro asked.

"Yeah," Luffy replied bluntly.

"Ngagaga, you're a funny one," Kokoro replied laughing.

"Chimney that was a steam engine, right?" Nami asked. "How can it possibly travel on the water...?"

"Bet you've never seen anything like it before," Chimney said with a smile on her face. "You won't find it anywhere else in the world! That's the "Sea Train," Puffing Tom."

"Puffing Tom?" Nami asked.

"It's a steam engine that uses paddles to travel along the sea tracks!" Chimney replied.

"Sea tracks?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, they`re right down there below the surface of the water," I said pointing them out. "It`s essentially a steamboat on tracks."

"The train goes around the same islands every day, carrying passengers. It can also ferry ships and mail," Chimney said explaining things.

"Kakusei's right, there ARE tracks," Usopp said looking into the water.

"Yeah! There are boundaries," Kokoro explained. "I don't know why you wanted to put yourselves in danger by barging in on your ship."

"Dangerous for US? But frogs don't understand that. You didn't have to hit that guy!" Luffy said in a whiny voice. "He was our prey, anyways."

"Oh... that's "Yokozuna." He's the root of Shift Station's troubles," Chimney explained. "He loves battles of strength, so he always tries to beat the train. He won't die; he'll be back soon enough!"

"A battle of strength? ...oh, no wonder he didn't jump out of the way!" Luffy said in realization. "That frog's got guts!"

"It's not a good thing! He keeps destroying the grill on the front of the train! Every time he shows up, it's bad news for our customers!" Chimney continued complaining.

"I see now... Okay! I'm not gonna eat him! I can't eat guys who work hard!" Luffy said striking a battle pose.

"It's a frog; you shouldn't eat it in the first place," Nami said to Luffy.

"What, you`ve never heard of Frog`s legs?" I asked.

"So? Where egzactly are ya headed?" Kokoro asked. "If ya wanna take the Sea Train, you can go to... The "Spring Queen Town," St. Poplar, the "Gourmet Town," Pucci, or the "Carnival Town," San Faldo. All fun destinations! We have a separate express solely for government employees and officials, but that's another matter."

"REALLY? GOURMET TOWN!" Luffy said with excitement in his voice.

"No, we have a ship, we're not riding the train," Nami said hitting Luffy upside the head. "We're just following the Log."

"Oh? Where's it pointing?" Kokoro asked.

"To the west of here," Nami replied calmly.

"You'll be headin' for Water Seven, then," Kokoro replied in her drunken slur. "That train y'just shaw came from Blue Station over on that island. It'sh a nice place; they call it the Water Metropolis. That city was BUILT on their ability to create ships... they're the besht in the world! Even the world governmentsh turn to them to have their ships made!"

"Wow, there must be some good shipwrights there!" Luffy said.

"Ngagagagaga, not just "some"! It's where you'll find all the greatest shipwrights in the world!" Kokoro said confidently.

"Usopp!" Luffy yelled.

"Yeah!" Usopp replied.

"...then it's settled!" Luffy said. " We're going there TO ADD A SHIPWRIGHT TO OUR CREW!"

"Could I ask a favor Kokoro?" I asked aloud.

"What ish it?" Kokoro asked me.

"Could you give us a map to Water Seven and a letter to introduce us to someone who can help us?" I asked. "Since we don`t know anyone there, it`s be nice if we had word from someone who knows a person who can help us."

"Oh shure!" She replied. "I`ll write ta Iceberg. He`s a drinkin` buddy of mine." She then went inside and after a few minutes, came back with a folded piece of paper. "Here ya go, then! A letter of introdukshun and an easy-to-read map. Go get yer ship fixed up! Water Seven's a big place, don't get losht."

"Thank you," I said bowing in thanks. "This will be a great help to us. By the way, does Water Seven look like a giant water fountain?"

"Actually, it does!" Chimney said in response. "We're going back to Water Seven soon!"

"Tha's right!" Kokoro said as a follow-up. "If I see ya again, I'll take ya for a drink at my fav'rit bar, ngagaga!"

"I`ll have to treat you to drinks later then," I said smiling a bit.

"Great! I hope we meet again!" Luffy said waving good-bye.

"The Log at Water Seven takes a week, so enjoy yourselves!" Kokoro said, giving us a good hope for actually getting a break.

"Here we go, then!" Nami said as we waved good-bye. "Thanks for all the info, Cocoro and Chimney!"

"Prepare to sail, boys!" Luffy yelled.

"YEAH!" Sanji, Chopper, Usopp and I cheered.

"Take care!" Chimney yelled as we left.

"Look out fer them government officials!" Kokoro said giving us good warning. And slowly, Kokoro`s train station fell out of our sight.

"Yahoooo! Off we go, to the Meat Metropolis!" Luffy yelled happily.

"Were you even listening?" I asked Luffy. A little later, we ended up having a conversation about what we wanted in a shipwright.

"Luffy! Just let me find us a shipwright!" Sanji said while sitting on the second floor railing. "I'll find a super-hot babe!"

"Are you nuts? It's like a carpenter!" Luffy said making gestures whit his arms. "It needs to be a huge burly guy! 5 meters tall!"

"If he's that big, how's he even going to live on this ship?" Usopp asked.

"I don't care who it is, as long as they're good," Zoro said. "But the biggest problem could be finding one who's crazy enough to become a pirate."

"And with the work we do, they need good fighting ability as well," I said adding in.

"I'm excited about getting a new member!" Chopper said happily.

"We were lucky to hit that station. Now we have a map. All we have to do is follow the map and ask for the person named Iceberg," Nami said as she unfurled the map. "A-ha." Nami said flatly. "THAT TELLS US NOTHING!"

"We should have expected this," I said as I pulled out my sketchpad and began sketching. "She was drunk after all. At least the letter is well written. We`re probably looking for a place like this." I showed Nami my sketch of Water Seven, made from the simplistic sketch Kokoro gave us and what I saw in my vision.

"Holy… How did you get that from this?" Nami asked. "Wait, didn`t you ask if Water Seven looked like a fountain?"

"He did," Robin replied calmly from her seat on the steps near Luffy.

"See, we have to all look for someone like this!" Luffy said as he held up his horrible sketch of what he wanted in a shipwright.

"If I see anyone like that, I'm running," Usopp said as he looked at Luffy`s drawing.

"Me too, I'd get on the ship and set sail... but that thing looks like it`s part octopus, so he'd come chasing after us anyways."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Zoro asked from the other higher deck.

"He`s talking about Luffy`s horrible sketch," I said as I took my sketchpad and sketched out a better version of what Luffy wanted. When I finished, I showed them a guy with an Elvis Pompadour, huge Popeye-arms, skinny legs, a moderately muscled chest, and a metal nose on his face.

"I`m still running from that," Usopp said still scared.

"I think I`d be fine with that," Sanji said looking a bit calmer.

"_Hey, take another look at your sketch,"_ Seiran said to me in my mind.

"What is it?" I said looking the sketch over. "I don`t see anything wrong with it."

"_Doesn`t this guy look familiar?"_ Seiran asked me. I took a second look at the sketch and I realized that this guy kinda looked like that guy I saw on the bridge in my dream.

"So if we see a guy like this, he`s important?" I asked Seiran in my mind.

"_Bingo,"_ Seiran said calmly. _"Keep an eye out for a guy like this. He`ll be important in the future."_

"How do you know?" I asked Seiran.

"_Well, I um…"_ Seiran said sounding very nervous.

"Everyone over here!" Nami said snapping me back to reality. "I'll give you special allowances for the week we spend here."

"WOOOO! Disposable income!" Luffy cheered.

"I guess I better help with this," I said walking up to Nami.

"_Dodged a bullet there,"_ Seiran said to himself without me hearing him.

"Hey Kakusei, what`s been with you lately?" Nami asked me.

"Would you guys believe me if I said I was Psychic?" I asked.

"Depends on the evidence you give us," Robin said calmly.

"Well, I had a short vision today before we saw Yokozuna," I said. "I saw Yokozuna swimming, then the train about to hit us, and finally, I saw what I`m guessing is Water Seven."

"Which is how you drew this!" Nami said as she held up my self-made map of Water Seven, bringing Robin to attention.

"Well, if Water Seven really looks like that, we can assume Kakusei is Psychic," Robin said calmly.

"So how long have you been Psychic?" Nami asked.

"Well, since I was about 9 or 10 years old," I said thinking back. "I was sleeping one night and while I was dreaming, I saw the weather report for like a month later. When I saw that weather report again, I made note of it, but it was a few years until I had any more visions of my future in my dreams. Today was the first time I had one in the middle of the day."

"What`s it like?" Sanji asked.

"Well, it`s weird," I said. "It`s like seeing a scene play out as I see it through my own eyes before it happens. And when the vision happens, it`s exactly like Déjà Vu, if anyone here knows what that`s like."

"Nope," Sanji said.

"No, I don`t," Nami said in response.

"Can`t say I do," Robin said smiling.

"What's up, Usopp?" Luffy asked Usopp, who was hugging the mast tightly.

"All these metal reinforcements... They're like memories of our battles and adventures..." he said in a dream-like voice. "Once I realized they were going to be fixed and repaired, it makes me feel a bit nostalgic..."

"I can understand... ever since we entered the Grand Line, Merry's taken some pretty bad beatings," Sanji said. "The creaking of the deck and the leaking down below are awful."

"At the current rate, this ship's going to turn dangerous to us," Nami said.

"Yeah! But now we have lots of money!" Luffy said happily. "We can fix it up nice! Power-up time!"

"We need more cannons!" Usopp said excitedly.

"Don't forget a giant statue," Luffy replied.

"Slow down Luffy," I said grabbing his shoulder. "One thing at a time. Let`s get Merry patched up first."

"Isn't that it?" Zoro asked, causing us all to look out where he gestured to.

"LAND HO!" Luffy yelled.

"I SEE THE ISLAND!" Usopp yelled.

"Okay boys, row!" Luffy ordered us.

"Don't waste your strength," Nami said flatly.

"She`s right, we`ll get there when we get there," I added in.

"Whoa!" Luffy said as Usopp stared speechless.

"It's lovely," Robin said calmly.

"WOW!" Chopper yelled.

"I can`t believe it," Nami said looking at the island.

"Oooh," Sanji said staring at the island as well.

"It`s just like I saw it," I said staring at the giant fountain-shaped city in awe.

"_Amazing, isn`t it?"_ Seiran said in awe as well.

"WHOAAA! What's THAT?" Chopper asked.

"It's a huuuuge fountain!" Luffy yelled out.

"Guess you`re a Psychic Kakusei," Nami said smiling a bit.

"Seems so," Robin added in.

"Wow, is this a metropolis?" Usopp asked while bugging out.

"No wonder they've got sea trains," Sanji said amazed.

"That must be the station up in front; it says "Blue Station"," Nami said looking at the Blue Station.

"Where's the port, then?" Sanji asked.

"It`s probably around back," I said. "They probably don`t want pirates being shown to the public and government."

"Heeey! You there!" a man in a fisherman`s boat yelled at us.

"Huh?" Luffy asked.

"You can't just sail in the front way if you're pirates!" the man continued. "Go around to the back end of town!"

"Okay! Thanks!" Luffy said to the man.

"Told you," I said with a smug look on my face.

"Wow, a city on the water?" Sanji said astonished.

"I like this place!" Luffy said.

"It's beautiful," Nami said amazed.

"Reminds me of Venice, Italy," I said smiling. "Never been there, but I`ve seen pictures."

"The town... it's flooding!" Usopp yelled. "Don't you see the houses sinking into the water?""

"No, it's a city that was built on a sunken island," Robin said calmly. "Look at the foundations of the buildings."

"You're right, they're pillars!" Chopper said as he looked closely at the house foundations.

"I see... so that's why it's the Water Metropolis," Sanji said.

"Woohoo! Let's go find the shipwrights!" Luffy yelled while sitting on his seat.

"Hey, you pirates!" Yelled a man with a shaved head sitting at a café. "You can't come in this way! What are you here for, plunder?"

"Nah, we're just here to get our ship repaired." Luffy replied honestly.

"Do people normally ask if you're coming to plunder?" Nami asked with a sweat-drop appearing on the side of her head.

"Then there's a cape up ahead," the man replied. "You should anchor your ship there."

"...oh. Thanks!" Luffy replied.

"This looks about right," I said later as we approached a tract of land.

"Okay! Hoist the sail!" Nami ordered to Zoro. As Zoro was hoisting the sail, we all heard a loud CRACK! We all took a look at what happened and saw the mast was bending!

"AAAAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Usopp yelled at Zoro.

"No...! I just pulled on the rope!" Zoro said in his defense. "Goddamn... I didn't realize the Going Merry was in such bad shape..."

"Why don't the people on this island fear pirates?" Nami asked as Zoro was repairing the Merry while being chopped and scolded by Usopp.

"Cause the pirates are probably customers at the shipyard, too," I said calmly.

"Or maybe they have defense forces strong enough to repel pirates," Robin added in.

"Yeah, they probably do... it's a big city," Sanji added in as well.

:What? Really?" Usopp said freaking out and taking a break from beating Zoro. "What are we gonna do, then? We're in danger!"

"No we're not. We're customers," Sanji said calmly.

"Huh? Oh yeah," Usopp said calmed down now.

"We're off, then!" Luffy and Usopp said as they ran off.

"Luffy, Usopp, wait! You have to come with me!" Nami yelled at the two of them.

"Where to?" Usopp asked.

"Well, I've got Kokoro-san's letter. We need to look for someone named "Iceberg"," Nami began. "We can rely on him to get the ship fixed... And I need to look for a place to exchange our gold for money."

"...okay," Luffy replied. "So anyways! Onward! To the Water Metropolis!"

As they left, the rest of us sat around for a bit until Nami, Luffy, and Usopp were out of sight. I decided to grab my allowance and my backpack and go walk around the city. As I passed through the city, I noticed a lot of people wearing masks. Then I remembered that there was a costume party taking place, so I brushed it off. I kept walking for awhile and I saw a guy with a long square nose and a baseball cap running across the roofs.

"That`s pretty awesome!" I said aloud. "I didn`t know people could run like that."

"_You might want to catch up to him,"_ Seiran told me in my mind.

"Why?" I asked him.

"_Cause he`s heading right for the Going Merry,"_ he replied calmly.

"Crap! Time to play catch-up," I said. "Let`s try out those new tricks Tetsuga helped me learn." I jumped a bit into the air, and used my Ki to make a small invisible platform about the size of my feet, and kicked off it. I bounced a few times before I reached the roof, then I used my second trick. I kicked off the roof a little more than 10 times normal speed, and sped off after that guy. The people watching me were kinda freaked out, and took my tricks as a show. In a few minutes I had caught up to him and was running beside him. "Hey, where are you going?" I asked as we ran side-by-side.

"Oh, are you a part of the Straw-hat Pirates?" he asked me. "I`m Kaku, and I`m heading over to look at your ship. I`m one of the Shipwrights here."

"Oh, I`m sorry," I apologized. "I`m Kakusei. I was just being defensive, that`s all. Bounty hunters and all that. Gotta fight `em sometimes, not that I don`t mind."

"So we have similar name and share hobbies," Kaku said smiling. "If I didn`t know better, I`d say we were long-lost brothers."

"Well, I can assure you we`re not related," I said smiling a bit. "Alright, I`ll let you get back to work. I`ll turn off here."

"Alright, have a good time here!" Kaku said as I turned off and ran back to where I left off. "He was able to catch up to me with Soru, and he used Geppou to get up here," Kaku said under his breath as he ran towards the Merry. "His name wasn`t mentioned in the reports… Who is Kakusei? Anyway, back to work!"

A good distance away, I landed back on the place I left, and I was greeted by applause from those who were obviously watching me.

"Amazing!" One man said coming up to me. "I`ve never seen someone who can catch up to Kaku, the Yamakaze (Mountain Wind)!"

"Where did you come from?" another man asked.

"I just arrived here on a ship," I said calmly and enjoying the praise a bit.

"You should join the shipwrights here!" a woman commented.

"No, no, I`m already on a crew, but thanks for the notion," I said as I walked away. I spent a little while walking around, and I ended up stopping at a newsstand, when the front lines of a paper caught my eye, or it caught Seiran`s.

"_Hey, check out that headline,"_ Seiran said, drawing my attention to the newspaper.

"Vice-Admiral Storm D. Kenjiro comes to Grand Line," I said reading the headline on the paper. I bought the paper from the newsstand and I read the story. "Vice-Admiral Storm D. Kenjiro, alias Arashiken (Storm Fist) Kenjiro, has recently left for the Grand Line in order to take a vacation. However, he had been criticized for his habit of taking too many vacations, though he still manages to complete his work over them, and capturing criminals while off duty. Kenjiro has not been able to be interviewed for a comment on this, though he has been rumored to have been seen near the city of Water Seven." That last part made me gulp hard. I certainly didn`t remember this guy at all.

"Nervous I see," a voice said from behind me. I turned around and saw an old man who was hunched over in an oversized blue Hawaiian shirt with a green floral print on it and a pair of straw sandals. I noticed him smoking a long, old-style Japanese pipe and I was hoping he was wearing shorts under that shirt. His grey, almost silver hair was styled to look like his ponytail was a lit fire, while the rest of his hair was pulled back, and he had a long beard and moustache that reminded me of Yamamoto from Bleach. He was walking around with a large black hammer, using the hammer as a walking stick. "You must be a pirate." He sounded much less like an old man than he should have been. His voice was very deep and smooth. "You wouldn`t be so nervous unless you weren`t."

"Yeah, I am," I said honestly. "May I ask your name?"

"It`s more polite to introduce yourself before you ask someone else`s name young man, especially an elders," the old man said.

"I`m Kakusei," I said calmly. "And your name?"

"Tetsuno Genkai, my boy," Genkai replied. "You seem very nice for a pirate. You must be part of a peace maine crew."

"I am," I replied. "You are very insightful for someone who just met me."

"I get that a lot," Genkai replied laughing a bit. "Mind seeing where an old man works?"

Just then, I saw Kaku running across the roofs back to wherever he came from.

"I`m sorry, but I have to leave," I said politely as I turned back to Genkai, seeing him write something down on a small piece of paper.

"Here," he said as he handed me the paper. "Come by that address tomorrow morning. Go and see how your ship`s doing."

"Thank you," I said as I took the paper. "See you tomorrow!" I said as I bounded up to the roof and shot off after Kaku.

"Nice boy," Genkai said to himself as I left. "He`s a lucky one he is."

"_He was a nice man,"_ Seiran said to me in my mind as I ran to catch up to Kaku. _"You really should visit him tomorrow."_

"And you thought I wasn`t gonna?" I asked him. "He`s nice, and he seems interesting." I put on a burst of speed and managed to catch up to Kaku. "Hey Kaku, done inspecting the ship already?" I asked.

"Yes," Kaku replied. "And now I`m heading back to the docks. Hey, how about a race there?"

"Sounds good to me!" I said smiling a bit.

"_Good, I can test his abilities a bit more now,"_ Kaku said in his mind. "Alright, let`s go!" He bolted off, putting on a burst of speed to pull ahead.

"Hey, no fair!" I yelled, running after him gradually gaining speed myself. Kaku and I managed to stay pretty close to each other.

"_This seems odd,"_ Seiran said in my mind.

"What`s so odd about it?" I asked him. "We`re just having a race."

"_I don`t know, it seems like he`s testing you_," Seiran said suspiciously.

"Oh lighten up," I said happily in response. "We`re just having fun!" I pulled ahead of Kaku a bit and got to the gate before he did. I jumped off the gate, and began a series of somersaults to land on the ground, but in that, Kaku somehow ran faster than me and landed before I did.

"Huh? Kaku, where were you?" Paulie asked. "And who the hell are you?"

"On an inspection..." Kaku said calmly.

"I`m Kakusei, part of the Straw-hat Pirates," I replied honestly.

"Are our clients in here?" Kaku asked Paulie.

"Right over there Kaku," I said pointing them out.

"Oh! You're the man from before!" Nami said in her business outfit. "Did you look at our ship?"

"Indeed I did. Iceberg-san is here too?" Kaku said looking at Nami then Iceberg.

"I know the story. How did it look?" Iceberg asked.

"Come down from there, Luffy!" Nami yelled at Luffy, who was on a scaffold.

"Excuse me sir, but I don`t recognize you as a shipwright, so I must ask you to leave," Kalifa said to me.

"I`m a Straw-hat Pirate, Miss," I said politely. "My name is Kakusei."

"I don`t recall having you on the report," Kalifa said looking at her clipboard. "Is he the most recent member?"

"He is," Nami said vouching for me.

"Then I`ll add him in," Kalifa said writing on her clipboard. "How did you get in here?"

"I followed Kaku in," I said.

"I`m just shocked he can keep up with me," Kaku said laughing a bit.

"Now that is a shock," Iceberg replied laughing a bit.

"Where's Usopp?" Luffy asked as he landed.

"He was over there ogling the equipment over there a minute ago," Nami replied. "But he left the cases of money here, so I guess it`s okay."

"So? How much will it cost?" Luffy asked Kaku. "We can pay as much as you want, because we've got all the money right here! If possible, we'd like you to tougher and faster, with more cannons!"

"Also, can you add some decorations to the hull?" Nami asked. "And what about making over the cabins?"

"Hold on. I'll make this short..." Kaku said bluntly. "Your ship's battle wounds are too deep. I'm sure you've had a grand journey."

"Oh, yeah," Luffy said honestly. "We were climbing mountains, flying through the sky, getting skewered, everything. We've been through a lot. That's why we need you to fix 'im up!"

"Is it going to take a while?" Nami asked.

"...no. I'll be brutally honest," Kaku said bluntly again. "With our level of skill, your ship cannot be repaired!"

"What?" Nami said shocked.

"Even if we tried to fix it up," Kaku said slowly, "the chance you have of getting to the next island is zero."

"No!" Nami said in response. "We were just sailing fine with it today!"

"...is the keel damaged?" Paulie asked.

"Yes. Badly," Kaku answered.

"YOU CAN'T FIX THE MERRY? WHY NOT? I thought you were supposed to be amazing shipwrights!" Luffy said like a child throwing a tantrum. "Look! We have all the money you'll need!"

"Money Is not the issue," Kaku said calmly. "No amount of wealth will fix that ship. It is a wonder it even made it here, in that condition. You should be glad to even get this far."

"What do you mean?" Nami asked loudly. "What's wrong with the Merry?"

"Do you know what the "keel" is, lewd girl?" Paulie asked Nami.

"I do," I said, stepping in for Nami as I remembered the explanation Paulie was about to give. "The keel is like the backbone of the ship, cause it`s the part the rest of the ship is built on. It`s like the foundation of a house, or a human spine. Break that, and the ship will eventually break along with it, right?"

"On the nose, Kakusei," Paulie replied. "The keel is the "life of the ship," the part that brings all of it together. If it's badly damaged, you can't just take it out and replace it with another. It would be the same as starting another ship from scratch. That's why no one can fix it. Your ship is now nothing more than a pile of wood waiting to fall apart."

"...STOP! You don't have to say it like that!" Nami objected.

"Why not? It's true," Paulie replied.

"...OK then! Build our ship over again from scratch!" Luffy yelled. "Make us another Going Merry!"

"Can't do that, either," Hattori said speaking for Rob Lucci. "Hoo hoo." Something about Rob Lucci just rubbed me the wrong way. I don`t know what it was, but I didn`t like him.

"WHY NOT?" Luffy yelled like a child again.

"We can create a ship that is LIKE it, but strictly speaking, no one can create the exact same ship again," Hattori/Rob Lucci continued. "No two ships are completely alike."

"What do you mean?" Nami asked.

"How many trees are exactly identical?" Hattori/Rob Lucci asked Nami. "Ships are mainly constructed of wood. A ship's size and curves depend on the tree that is used. Even if you use the same plans, you can't create the exact same ship. Even if we did that for you, it would be all of you who would feel most of all, that this ship was not the same. Hoo hoo."

"...but... are you really sure the Going Merry will never sail again?" Nami asked.

"Most likely. You can either wait for it to sink..." Kaku said dramatically. "…or disassemble it now."

"Well! That's the lifespan of your ship," Iceberg said bluntly. "This is a good opportunity for you. Buy yourself a brand new ship. You have money, don't you? I hear your old one was a caravel. You'd have a hard time with the voyage ahead, using an older model like that."

"...NO! I DON'T WANT TO CHANGE SHIPS!" Luffy yelled complaining as he did.

"Luffy..." Nami said slowly.

"OUR SHIP IS THE GOING MERRY! YOU CAN REPAIR IT, AND IT'LL SAIL AGAIN! I KNOW IT! IT WAS SAILING JUST FINE TODAY! YOU CAN'T JUST SAY IT WON'T WORK ANYMORE... AND EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE IT!" Luffy yelled in Iceberg`s face. "YOU'RE ONLY SAYING THAT BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TOUGH IT IS!"

"So you won't be satisfied until it sinks... I'm disgusted..." Iceberg said sounding a bit, well, disgusted. "You call yourself a captain. Well, it seems our discussion is over. Think about it. If you feel like buying a new ship, come to us. Give us that 300 million you've got and we'll build you the newest type of ship there is. Kalifa."

"Sir. Please read this. It's a catalogue of our new and used ships. It should help you settle on a price..." Kalifa said handing us a catalog of ship types.

"Thank you Miss," I said calmly. "I`ll hold onto it, as I think Iceberg just gave my captain a lot to think about."

"Kakusei, may I ask why you don`t refer to me by name?" Kalifa asked.

"I would refer to you by name, but I might get accused of sexual harassment," I said smiling a bit at my joke. Kalifa smiled herself a bit at this.

"I guess you might," she replied as she returned to Iceberg`s side.

"Iceburg-san! You have guests, at the gate. They look like government officials again," a tall, tan man with tattoos on his chest and arms and a single spike of hair sticking out of his head said to Iceberg. I recognized him as Peepy Lulu. Funny name for a guy. "Shall I chase them off?"

"Hmmm, yes," Iceberg replied. "Tell them I'm not here. My goodness Lulu, you once again have the most fascinating bed-hair."

"That`s bed-hair?" I said astonished.

"OOPS! Pardon me," Lulu said a bit embarrassed. "I'll send them away, then."

"Please do," Iceberg replied.

Then the government official showed up and gave Iceberg a hard time while we watched from the sidelines.

"Huh?" Luffy said as he picked up the briefcases Usopp left.

"What?" Nami asked.

"It's light.." Luffy said as he held up one of the cases..

"Why? Stop joking!" Nami said seriously. "It can't be light, with all that money inside..." Then Nami opened the cases.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Luffy screamed.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Nami screamed. They both almost made me deaf.

"What the HELL are you screaming about?" Paulie asked as he came to see what was up. "Ack! Hey, woman! Don't sit like that, or..."

"OUR 200 MILLION BERRIES…" Luffy started.

"…ARE GONE!" Nami finished. "AND THESE AREN'T EVEN OUR CASES!"

"What's with all the shouting?" Hattori/Rob Lucci asked.

"WHAT?" Paulie said. "That wasn't ME, you know!"

"What a mess," Lulu commented. "Anyways... Kaku. Didn't I just see you with the Frankys?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kaku replied. " I haven't seen the Frankys all day."

"...strange," Lulu replied. "I'm sure I saw your REALLY LONG NOSE."

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Nami yelled to Lulu.

"THAT'S USOPP!" Luffy yelled.

"HE WAS WITH THE FRANKYS?" Nami asked.

"Well, by "with" I mean "being dragged around by"," Lulu replied.

"That idiot went and got himself kidnapped!" I yelled, but not as loud as Luffy and Nami.

"Hurry, Luffy! Look for them!" Nami yelled at Luffy, toning it down a bit.

"OK!" Luffy said running off.

"No, wait Luffy, where are you going to go?" Nami yelled trying to get Luffy to listen. "Hey! Where is the Franky Family's hideout?"

"Hideout?" Paulie replied. "Well, the disassembly yard is on the shore way northeast of where you stopped your ship, on the Rocky Cape. It's called the "Franky House"."

After that, Nami and I climbed in her Yagura Bull and sped off, trying to find Luffy.

"Luffy! Luuuuffy!" Nami yelled from her Yagura Bull trying to get Luffy`s attention. "Geez, he knows he's not smart enough to search for anyone on his own! I don't have time to look for Luffy!"

"I got him Nami, you just get that case secured!" I said as I jumped out and ran to look for Luffy. "The Franky Family is gonna be sorry they ever messed with the Straw-hat pirates!"

**-X-**

We finally made it to Water Seven, and events have certainly come into full view!

Next chapter, we make an offer the Franky Family can`t refuse!

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


	28. Chapter 28

**Brand New World**

**Ch. 28: Breaking In and Breaking Off**

**-X-**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.

**Summary:** I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic.

**Rating:** T for Language, Violence, and Blood.

**-X-**

I had spent about 10 minutes looking for Luffy when I saw him bounding across the rooftops. I decided to follow him up to the roofs when I saw him jump off the roof he was on, and tumble right into the river Sanji, Zoro, and Chopper were next to.

"Dammit Luffy!" I yelled as I dove in after him and brought him back up to the surface.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Sanji asked Luffy after Luffy got a chance to catch his breath. "Where'd you come from?"

"I was looking for Usopp and tried to jump off the roofs like the carpenter guy," Luffy said through his coughing up water. Then Sanji went on how Usopp had already went on to fight the Franky Family.

"Let`s pay them a visit then," I said cracking my knuckles as we left for the Franky Scrapyard.

**-X-**

We were just outside the Franky House when we found Usopp, unconscious and laying in his own blood and covered in dirt.

"Wait a little longer Usopp," Luffy said as we walked to the door. "We`ll bring down that screwed-up house…" We walked in a line to the front door, and I must say, I felt pretty bad-ass. A large member of the Frankys opened the door, and Luffy just punched him in the face, shocking the Frankys. Then they went on how Luffy came back to get his money, and how we were outnumbered, and how wimpy Luffy must be judged on Usopp`s ability. One guy in armor stepped forward and dared Luffy to hit him. Luffy then threw a large amount of warm-up punches at the guy and yelled "GOMU GOMU NO CANNON!" Luffy accumulated his punches into one blow, busting though the armor easily, and scaring the shit out of the Frankys, making them apologize immediately. Then they fired the cannons while we were "distracted".

Zoro took the initiative and leapt forward wielding all three swords. "Santoryuu: Karasuma Gari!" The cannonballs were instantly sliced in two and flew around the five of us. Again, the Frankys were shocked. And Zoro then proceeded to cut one of the cannons in two.

As the Franky`s tried to run to the back door, Sanji jumped over them and did a handstand on one`s head."Don`t start a fight you can`t finish. Party Table Kick Course!" HE spun around on the guy`s head and kicked the surrounding guys down. Then the Frankys headed to the windows.

"Rumble!" Chopper said through the smoke as he chomped a Rumble Ball. "Horn Point!" Chopper became a mid-human-reindeer form with reindeer rear legs- human hands, and hunched position, and large forked antlers coming out of his hat. He charged at the Franky`s picking them up and tossing them easily."Roseo Colonnade!"

"Quick, the stairs!" The Frankys yelled as they headed for the stairs.

"My turn," I said smirking evilly as I instantaneously ran in front of them, standing on the stairs causing them to scream. "Tatsureiken: Fuujin-Raijin Kento!" I quickly formed a Tatsumaki Ken around my right arm, and I used the Electric Eye ÄRM I had won from Foxy to surround my left arm with electricity. Then I proceeded to beat the shit out of the remaining Frankys and send them flying into the wall.

"Wait! This is about the money, isn`t it?" The apparent leader of the Frankys said as he looked like he was giving up. "That 200,000,000 Beri that wimp had? Well, it`s not here, cause our boss has it, and we don`t know where it is!" Luffy just glared at him. "So good luck getting your 200,000,000 Beri ba-" **-BAM!-** He was quickly cut off by Luffy punching him in the face.

"Enough talk. That`s not what this is about," Sanji said calmly.

"Yeah," Zoro said glaring at the remaining Frankys.

"You can kiss your asses Good-bye," Luffy said calmly. Again, the Frankys were scared shitless of us.

"You messed with one of our Nakama," I said glaring at them. "You mess with one of us; you mess with all of us, so we beat the shit out of all of you. That`s how Mafia`s work. You take the name of "Family" and don`t understand that, you`re gonna get whacked." Then the Frankys shot a variety of stuff at us using a cannon, the five of us easily dodging what the cannon shot out. Then we charged at each other, getting ready to fight and fight hard. I made some blades of wind and sliced through a few swords as well as Frankys. Then I socked more with my Tatsumaki Ken. I tried using a flame attack on one of them, but he dodged and my attack went right at their gunpowder and explosive storeroom. Bad place to keep it all… The house exploded, and I`m certain it could be heard from the Merry.

"Should we go after this Franky guy?"Sanji asked Zoro asked as he tied his bandana back on his arm.

"Where would we look?" Zoro asked looking at the wreckage of the fight.

"Dammit, we have no idea where the money went," Sanji said. "And even if we catch this Franky guy, he`ll be done with his shopping by the time we do."

"Well, the money`s not that big an issue," I said. "We do have a back-up plan. I just didn`t think we`d be using it so soon."

"What do we do?" Zoro asked. "Even if we wait for him, he won`t be back for a while."

Chopper than informed us he finished patching up Usopp and Sanji reminded us about Nami and Robin.

"Oi! Luffy!" We`re heading back!" I called out to him as Zoro turned away from our battlefield.

"About the ship," Luffy said as he looked out to the sea. "I`ve decided. We`re going to say good-bye to the Going Merry."

"Alright," I said as I made a small pillow of wind under Usopp. "I`ve got Usopp."

**-X-**

Sorry about the short chapter guys. I`m just not as into this as I was before, plus college is keeping me busy.

I was wondering, if I restarted this story from an earlier point in One Piece, would you guys want to see that? Or should I just continue this story?

Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)


End file.
